Cerro Miscanti (also known as Ipira) is a mountain of volcanic origin located in the

Antofagasta Region The Antofagasta Region (, ) is one of Chile's Administrative divisions of Chile, sixteen first-order administrative divisions. Being the second-largest region of Chile in area, it comprises three provinces, Antofagasta Province, Antofagasta, El ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, immediately south of Chiliques and north of Miñiques. It towers over Laguna Miscanti. Rock samples from Cerro Miscanti are of

andesitic Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomina ...

composition, but andesite-containing

dacite Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. ...

s have also been found. The edifice covers an area of and bears traces of a westward collapse, which exposed the internal sector of the volcano. A new volcano grew inside the collapse scar. Miscanti may be either extinct or may have erupted in the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

. Renewed eruptions are likely to consist of lava flows, which could impact the northern shores of Laguna Miscanti. An Inka sanctuary has been reported from Cerro Miscanti.

References

Volcanoes of Antofagasta Region Mountains of Antofagasta Region Stratovolcanoes of Chile Pleistocene stratovolcanoes Five-thousanders of the Andes {{Chile-mountain-stub

See also

References