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 ...
straddling the border between the regions of Bío Bío and Araucanía in southern
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 ...
.Chilean Decree with Force of Law 1-18,715 /ref> The volcano has been shaped by glacial erosion, which contrasts with the relatively smooth slopes of its neighbor Lonquimay, due to the younger age of this latter volcano.
The volcano dominates the landscape vistas of
Tolhuaca National Park
Tolhuaca National Park () is a protected area created on October 16, 1935, in an area of 3,500 ha that was previously part of the Malleco National Reserve. In 1985, a second section of Malleco National Reserve was also made part of the national ...
, but is not actually located within its borders. The volcano's slopes are covered in forests. These forests are predominantly
araucaria
''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: .ɾawˈka. ɾja is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. While today they are largely confined to the Southern Hemisphere, during the Jurassic and Cretaceous they were glo ...
trees among others. There are also numerous small lakes known as ''lagunas'' among the scenery.
Callaqui
Callaqui is a stratovolcano located in the Bío Bío Region of Chile. It is a large ice-capped, basaltic andesite volcano which is elongated in the northeast-southwest direction, due to its construction along an long fissure. Numerous cinder ...
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Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...