Azufral is a
stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and peri ...
located in the
department of
Nariño in southern
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
, west of the town of
Túquerres. It is the only volcano of the
Western Ranges of the Colombian
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
. Its name derives from the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
word for
sulfur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formul ...
, ''azufre''. The volcano is considered semi-dormant but there are numerous
fumarole
A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or other rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...
s in the summit crater. The summit of the volcano has an altitude of ,
[ and the north-western side of the crater contains a crescent-shaped lake named ''Laguna Verde'' ( en, Green Lake) at . The lake is long and wide.]["El Azufral, seis años como reserva", ''El Tiempo'', June 12, 1996]
Retrieved May 2, 2011 and its bright green color is a result of the sulfur and iron-based deposits in the crater. There are also two other much smaller lakes in the crater, ''Laguna Negra'' ( en, Black Lake) and ''Laguna Cristal'' ( en, Crystal Lake).
The volcano lies within a nature reserve, the Reserva Natural del Azufral, created in 1990.[ The reserve covers an area of and is free of charge to enter. As Azufral is semi-dormant, there are no restrictions on ascending the volcano and visiting ''Laguna Verde'': there is a road that climbs to within from the summit, and the remaining distance can be covered on foot via a trail.
]
Gallery
See also
* List of volcanoes in Colombia
This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in Colombia.
See also
* List of earthquakes in Colombia
* List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Colombia
* Geology of Colombia
References
{{South America topic, state=uncoll ...
* List of volcanoes by elevation
A list (incomplete) of volcanoes on Earth arranged by elevation in metres.
6,000 metres
5,000 metres
4,000 metres
3,000 metres
2,000 metres
1,000 metres
Below 1,000 metres
From its base on the ocean floor
A list (in ...
References
Andean Volcanic Belt
Mountains of Colombia
Stratovolcanoes of Colombia
Quaternary Colombia
Quaternary volcanoes
Geography of Nariño Department
Nature reserves in Colombia
Four-thousanders of the Andes
Holocene stratovolcanoes
{{Colombia-geo-stub