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| Stratovolcanoes of the Andes | |
|---|---|
| Name | Andes stratovolcanoes |
| Country | Argentina; Bolivia; Chile; Colombia; Ecuador; Peru; Venezuela |
| Type | Stratovolcanoes |
| Volcanic arc | Andes Volcanic Belt |
| Last eruption | various |
Stratovolcanoes of the Andes Stratovolcanoes of the Andes form the backbone of the Andes volcanic belt and dominate the landscape of South America, shaping provinces such as Antofagasta Region, La Paz Department, Pichincha Province, Nariño Department, Arequipa Region, Mendoza Province, and Tungurahua Province. These steep, conical edifices result from subduction along the Nazca Plate and Antarctic Plate beneath the South American Plate, contributing to hazards that affect cities such as Quito, Bogotá, Lima, Santiago, and Cuzco and to scientific programs run by institutions like the Geological Survey of Argentina, Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN), Servicio Geológico Colombiano, and the Instituto Geofísico (EPN).
Subduction of the Nazca Plate and locally of the Caribbean Plate beneath the South American Plate drives magma generation in the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), Northern Volcanic Zone (NVZ), Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ), and Austral Volcanic Zone (AVZ), producing stratovolcanoes such as Cotopaxi, Nevado del Ruiz, Ojos del Salado, Llaima, and Mount Hudson. Tectonic features including the Peru–Chile Trench, Subandean Fold and Thrust Belt, Altiplano-Puna Magma Body, Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone, and Andean orogeny localize magma ascent and control vent distribution, influencing deposits studied in the Andesitic arc literature and by teams from Universidad de Chile and Universidad Nacional de San Juan.
Andean stratovolcanoes concentrate in chains and complexes such as the Southern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone, the Northern Volcanic Zone, volcanic zones of southern Chile, and clusters like the Llaima complex, San Pedro–El Cóndor complex, Sangay massif, Tungurahua massif, Nevados del Chillán, and the Misti–Chachani complex. Individual high-stand volcanoes such as Ojos del Salado, Llullaillaco, Parinacota, Licancabur, and Sairecabur form part of plateaus like the Altiplano and are adjacent to paleogeographic features such as the Lake Titicaca basin and the Puna de Atacama.
Historical eruptions at Nevado del Ruiz, Chaitén, Tungurahua, Reventador, and Cotopaxi demonstrate hazards including pyroclastic flows, lahars, ash fall, ballistic projectiles, and sector collapse that have affected populations in Armero, Chaitén town, Ambato, Baños de Agua Santa, and coastal communities near Valdivia. Regional hazard maps produced by SERNAGEOMIN, INGEMMET, Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería, and international projects like Global Volcanism Program integrate geochronology from radiocarbon dating, field mapping at sites such as Nevado del Huila, and monitoring from networks like Instituto Geofísico (Quito) to forecast unrest and mitigate risks to infrastructure on corridors like the Pan-American Highway and airports such as Aerolínea Quito hubs.
Andean stratovolcano magmas display a spectrum from basaltic-andesite to dacite and rhyolite, with characteristic andesitic compositions recorded at Cotopaxi, Llaima, and El Misti and more silicic systems at Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, Chillán complex, and Sangay. Processes such as fractional crystallization, magma mixing, crustal assimilation, and volatile exsolution are inferred from mineral assemblages including hornblende, plagioclase, biotite, pyroxene, and isotope systems like Sr–Nd isotopes and Oxygen isotopes, investigated by researchers at Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad de Concepción, and the Smithsonian Institution. Large ignimbrites and caldera-related magmatism linked to the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex contrast with stratocone-fed explosive eruptions at monogenetic centers along the volcanic front.
High-elevation stratovolcanoes such as Nebo, Llullaillaco, Cotopaxi, Ojos del Salado, and Chimborazo bear glacial cover, ice-capped summits, and moraines shaped during Last Glacial Maximum advances. Interactions between eruptive heat and cryosphere produce rapid melting and generate lahars impacting valleys like the Paute River and Chili River, and preserve proximal tephra layers exploited by teams from The Nature Conservancy and IGP for paleoclimate and paleoelevation reconstructions tied to Andean uplift scenarios.
Communities near stratovolcanoes—municipalities such as Ambato, Pasto, Arequipa, Copiapó, and San Pedro de Atacama—face recurrent disruptions to agriculture, air travel, and water supply. National agencies including SERNAGEOMIN, INGEMMET, Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología del Perú (SENAMHI), and international collaborations with US Geological Survey, Smithsonian Institution, and European Union research programs implement seismic networks, satellite remote sensing with Landsat, Sentinel-2, and InSAR, and community outreach via civil protection offices like ONEMI to reduce volcanic risk.
- Argentina: Llullaillaco, Tupungatito, Payún Matrú, Ojos del Salado, Cerro Bonete. - Bolivia: Sajama, Licancabur, Parinacota, Tunupa, Uturuncu. - Chile: Llaima, Villarrica, Licancabur (Chile–Bolivia border), Calbuco, Mount Hudson. - Colombia: Nevado del Ruiz, Nevado del Huila, Puracé Volcano, Sotará Volcano, Galeras. - Ecuador: Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Tungurahua, Sangay, Reventador. - Peru: El Misti, Mismi, Coropuna, Huayna Potosí, Sabancaya. - Venezuela: El Pulpito (less prominent), Cerro Negro (northern outlier), Néiba (historical studies).
Category:Andean volcanism