Azufral is a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

located in the department of Nariño in southern

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, 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 Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

. Its name derives from the Spanish word for

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

, ''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 another 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'' () 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'' () and ''Laguna Cristal'' (). 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.

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Andean Volcanic Belt Mountains of Colombia Stratovolcanoes of Colombia Quaternary Colombia Quaternary stratovolcanoes Geography of Nariño Department Nature reserves in Colombia Four-thousanders of the Andes Holocene stratovolcanoes {{Colombia-geo-stub

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References