Chaitén is a volcanic caldera 3 kilometres in diameter, 17 kilometres west of the elongated ice-capped Michinmahuida volcano and 10 kilometres northeast of the town of Chaitén, near the Gulf of Corcovado in southern Chile. The most recent eruptive phase of the volcano erupted on 2008. Originally, radiocarbon dating of older tephra from the volcano suggested that its last previous eruption was in 7420 BC ± 75 years.