This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| Cordon del Azufre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cordon del Azufre |
| Elevation m | 5200 |
| Location | Andes, Antofagasta Region, Chile |
| Range | Andes |
| Type | Volcanic chain |
| Last eruption | Holocene (uncertain) |
Cordon del Azufre is a remote volcanic chain in the Andes of northern Chile, situated in the Antofagasta Region near the Puna de Atacama and the Loa River watershed. The complex lies within a tectonically active corridor influenced by the Nazca Plate subduction beneath the South American Plate, and it is proximal to other volcanic centers such as Lascar, Licancabur, Sairecabur, and Llullaillaco. The area is of interest to scientists from institutions including the University of Chile, the Smithsonian Institution, the USGS, and the Universidad de San Andrés because of its sulfur-rich deposits, hydrothermal alteration, and uncertain Holocene activity.
The volcanic chain is positioned in the high-altitude puna between the Altiplano and the main crest of the Andes, near international boundaries with Argentina and relatively close to the Atacama Desert, Salar de Maricunga, and Salar de Pedernales. Access is typically arranged from regional hubs such as Calama, Antofagasta (city), and San Pedro de Atacama, with logistical support from organizations like the Compañía de Salitre y Ferrocarril-era routes and modern researchers from the Instituto Geológico y Minero de Chile. The chain occupies territory within administrative divisions linked to the Taltal and Sierra Gorda areas and lies on high plateaus crossed historically by trade routes to Potosí and Tocopilla.
The chain is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, controlled by subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate and affected by crustal structures related to the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone and local transfer faults similar to those documented near Cerro Galán and Puyehue. Magmatism at the site is compared in petrogenesis to centers such as Minás de Salares, Ojos del Salado, and San Pedro volcano; studies reference geochemical datasets established by teams from the University of Arizona, the University of Cambridge, and the Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales (Chile). Regional ignimbrites and lava flows correlate with eruptions studied at Tocorpuri, Pular, El Cerro Blanco, and Chungará stratovolcanoes.
The complex comprises multiple domes, lava flows, and fumarolic domes formed of andesite, dacite, and rhyolite similar to compositions reported at Lastarria, Socompa, Paniri, and Putana. Summit morphology shows solfataric craters and altered exposures reminiscent of features at Poligono Ignimbrítico localities and at the flanks of Llullaillaco and Licancabur, with mineral assemblages comparable to those mined historically at Chuquicamata and Potosí. Petrological analyses reference mineral phases documented by researchers affiliated with CONICYT and laboratories at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Radiometric and stratigraphic evidence indicates Pliocene to Quaternary activity with possible Holocene events comparable in age uncertainty to eruptions at Lascar and Lastarria. Geochronology teams from the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program, Instituto Geofísico del Perú, and the Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN) have discussed lacunae in the eruption record analogous to those at Cerro Toco and Socompa, complicating hazard assessment for nearby settlements like Calama and mining operations such as Escondida. Fumarolic degassing, thermal anomalies detected by MODIS and research satellites operated by NASA and ESA parallel observations at Tebinquinche and Puyehue-Cordón Caulle.
Extensive sulfur and sulfate deposits, hydrothermal alteration zones, and solfataras resemble resources and alteration documented at El Tatio, Salar del Carmen, Salar de Ollagüe, and Salar de Uyuni-adjacent systems; these have been studied by prospectors and academics from the Compañía Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi era to modern teams at the Mineralogical Society of America. Hydrothermal circulation produces native sulfur, alunite, and gypsum assemblages comparable to occurrences at Porcelana and Cochilco exploration sites. Environmental and economic assessments reference regulatory frameworks overseen by Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental (SEA) and mining concessions historically linked to entities like Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile.
The high-elevation puna supports sparse vegetation communities similar to those surrounding Salar de Surire and Laguna Verde (Atacama), with fauna parallels to populations documented at Parinacota National Park and Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, including vicugna and various Phrygilus species. Climatic conditions are controlled by the Humboldt Current and the regional rainshadow of the Andes, yielding extreme diurnal temperature variation and low precipitation patterns akin to the Atacama Desert and Altiplano climates described by climatologists at Universidad de Chile and the Met Office collaborations.
Archaeological traces and pre-Columbian route links evoke connections to cultural centers such as Tiwanaku, Inca Empire, and caravan routes to Potosí and Arequipa; researchers from the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (Chile), Catholic University of Valparaíso, and the Field Museum have conducted regional surveys. Modern scientific research is led by teams from the Smithsonian Institution, USGS, Universidad de Chile, and international collaborations with the Max Planck Society and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), focusing on volcanology, mineralogy, and remote sensing tools developed by NASA and ESA. Mining interests from corporations historically including Antofagasta PLC and SQM have prompted environmental studies overseen by SERNAGEOMIN and policy discussions involving the Ministerio de Minería (Chile).
Category:Volcanoes of Antofagasta Region