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| Guallatiri | |
|---|---|
| Name | Guallatiri |
| Elevation m | 6071 |
| Range | Andes |
| Location | Parinacota Province, Arica y Parinacota Region, Chile |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 2015? (ongoing fumarolic activity) |
Guallatiri is a high Andean stratovolcano in the Andes of northern Chile, reaching about 6,071 metres. It forms part of the volcanic arc related to the Nazca Plate subduction beneath the South American Plate and towers above the Altiplano and the Salar de Surire. The volcano is noted for persistent fumarolic fields, acid crater lakes, and periodic phreatic activity that have drawn attention from researchers at institutions such as the Observatorio Volcanológico de los Andes del Sur and international teams.
Guallatiri sits in the Parinacota Province near the border with Bolivia and Peru, northeast of Putre and west of the Salar de Uyuni catchment. Its construction reflects Neogene to Quaternary volcanism in the Central Volcanic Zone, where calc-alkaline magmatism produced edifices like Parinacota, Pomerape, Ampato, Ubinas, and Mismi. The edifice overlies older ignimbrites correlated with regional units such as the Oxaya Formation and the Altos de Nama ignimbrite, and is cut by faults associated with the Loa River drainage and the regional Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex. Geochemical signatures link Guallatiri magmas to processes recorded at Lascar, Llullaillaco, Láscar, and Tocorpuri, including crustal assimilation and magma mixing. Morphologically, it displays collapsed sectors, nested craters, debris avalanches, and summit fumaroles comparable to activity at Lastarria and Iruya.
The eruptive history spans Pleistocene constructional phases with summit domes and Holocene explosive episodes; tephrostratigraphic correlations have been made with regional ash layers studied in cores from Lake Titicaca, Lago Chungará, and Andean peat bogs. Radiometric ages from lavas and pyroclastics align with eruptions recorded at contemporaneous centers such as Chungará, Guagua Pichincha, Chiles, and Tungurahua. Historic and instrumentally observed activity includes fumarolic emissions, acid-sulfate alteration, minor phreatic explosions, and steam-driven events similar to those at Cerro Negro and El Chichón. Tephra dispersal patterns match wind regimes documented for the Altiplano, with distal ash found in deposits previously attributed to Licancabur and Sairecabur.
Hazards include ashfall affecting settlements like Putre and infrastructure such as the Pan-American Highway, lahars reaching endorheic basins like the Salar de Surire, pyroclastic density currents from dome collapse comparable to hazards at Merapi and Soufrière Hills, and hazardous gas emissions posing risks to miners at local operations related to Chuquicamata-style exploitation. Monitoring networks involve seismic stations, gas geochemistry, and satellite remote sensing employed by agencies such as the Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería and collaborations with INGV, USGS, and universities including the University of Chile and Universidad Católica del Norte. Hazard mapping draws on analogues from Nevado del Ruiz and Galeras for lahar preparedness and from Sakurajima for ongoing fumarolic behavior.
Guallatiri occupies puna and high Andean puna ecosystems inhabited by flora and fauna adapted to hypoxic, cold, and arid conditions, including species recorded in studies of Salar de Surire wetlands and the surrounding Andean flamingo habitats. Vegetation communities feature yareta cushions and tola shrubs similar to those around Parinacota and Putre, while vertebrates include camelids analogous to vicuña populations and avifauna such as Andean condor and Puna tinamou. Climate is governed by the South American summer monsoon and the Pacific Anticyclone, with pronounced diurnal temperature swings, seasonal precipitation delivered by Bolivian Winter episodes, and strong radiative forcing driving glacial vestiges like those on Llullaillaco. Hydrothermal alteration influences local soil chemistry, comparable to conditions around El Tatio and Sajama.
The Guallatiri area has archaeological and ethnographic links to pre-Columbian highland societies, Inca ceremonial pathways, and pastoralist traditions similar to those at Tiwanaku and Tiahuanaco-associated sites. Colonial and Republican records reference mining expeditions, missionary routes tied to Jesuit influence, and border demarcation efforts with Bolivia and Peru analogous to disputes resolved in treaties like the Treaty of Ancón and interactions along the War of the Pacific frontiers. Contemporary cultural value is reflected in indigenous Aymara practices, pilgrimages comparable to those on Cerro Toco and Licancabur, and tourism linked to national parks and protected areas administered by Chilean authorities including the Corporación Nacional Forestal.
Scientific investigation has involved multidisciplinary teams from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, University of Tokyo, ETH Zurich, University of Copenhagen, and regional centers like the Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería and Observatorio Andino. Methods include tephrochronology, K-Ar and Ar-Ar dating, petrology with comparisons to samples from Cerro Grande and Manam, gas flux surveys akin to studies at Kilauea and Mount St. Helens, and remote sensing with platforms operated by NASA and the European Space Agency. Ongoing research priorities include unraveling magma storage processes observed at analogues Mt. Pinatubo and Soufrière Saint Vincent, improving eruption forecasting through seismic and geodetic networks modeled on INGV deployments, and assessing environmental impacts analogous to studies at Llaima and Chaitén.
Category:Stratovolcanoes of Chile Category:Volcanoes of Arica y Parinacota Region