Copiapó, also known as Azufre, 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 p ...

located in the Atacama Region of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

. The volcano separates the two portions in which

Nevado Tres Cruces National Park Nevado Tres Cruces National Park () is a national park located in the Atacama Region of Chile, east of Copiapó. It includes Laguna Santa Rosa, Laguna del Negro Francisco, and a part of the Salar de Maricunga. The park is divided into two zones, ...

is divided. In its vicinity lies

Ojos del Salado Nevado Ojos del Salado is a dormant complex volcano in the Andes on the Argentina–Chile border. It is the highest volcano on Earth and the highest peak in Chile. The upper reaches of Ojos del Salado consist of several overlapping lava domes, l ...

. At its summit an

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admi ...

platform can be found. Dacitic volcanism occurred at this centre 11-7 million years ago and covered a surface of . The Valle Ancho fault can be traced beneath this volcano. The main cone is formed by dacites and block and ash flows that were later intruded by dacitic porphyries, associated with hydrothermal alteration. A smaller centre formed on the northern side of the main cone, as well as thick ()

ignimbrite Ignimbrite is a type of volcanic rock, consisting of hardened tuff. Ignimbrites form from the deposits of pyroclastic flows, which are a hot suspension of particles and gases flowing rapidly from a volcano, driven by being denser than the surro ...

s in two units. A complex of lava domes lies at their southern-eastern end with more hydrothermally altered porphyric intrusions named Azufrera de Copiapo. The last activity 6-7 million years ago formed a shield overlying the lava dome complex and the San Roman dome. Obsidian from this volcanic area has been found in archeological sites. Some rocks in the upper parts of the volcano may be of Quaternary age. The

Global Volcanism Program The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP) documents Earth's volcanoes and their eruptive history over the past 10,000 years. The mission of the GVP is to document, understand, and disseminate information about global volcanic act ...

claims that Copiapó was reported to be

fumarolic 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 ...

ally active by Ferdinand von Wolff 1929 who refers to

Rudolph Hauthal Rudolph or Rudolf may refer to: People * Rudolph (name), the given name including a list of people with the name Religious figures * Rudolf of Fulda (died 865), 9th century monk, writer and theologian * Rudolf von Habsburg-Lothringen (1788� ...

; it also gives "Lastarria" and "Azufre" as alternative names for Copiapó. Hauthal does not refer to Copiapó volcano as fumarolically active, but instead refers to Azufre and

Lastarria Lastarria is a high stratovolcano that lies on the border between Chile and Argentina. It is remote and the surroundings are uninhabited but can be reached through an unpaved road. The volcano is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the f ...

which are volcanoes unrelated to Copiapó.

Climbing

There is an Inca ruin about from the summit, accessible via the northern ridge. The platform measures and has a high wall. The summit is probably based on a Tandem-X study. The first recorded modern climb was by Stefan Osiecki, Witold Paryski, Jan Szczepanski and Justyn Wojsznis (Poland) October 3, 1937.

Gallery

File:Salar Maricunga Atacama.jpg, Maricunga Salt Flat with Copiapó Volcano in the distance File:Volcan Copiapó summit.jpg, Volcan Copiapó summit showing "Inca" structures and firewood File:Incan Platform at the north fore-summit.jpg, Incan platform at 6045 m altitude

References

External links

"Cerro Azufre, Chile" on Peakbagger
Volcanoes of Atacama Region Mountains of Chile Stratovolcanoes of Chile Six-thousanders of the Andes Miocene stratovolcanoes Pliocene stratovolcanoes {{Atacama-geo-stub

Climbing

Gallery

See also

References

External links