Tupungato
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| Tupungato | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 6,570 m (21,555 ft)[1] |
| Location | Chile/Mendoza Province, Argentina |
| Range | Andes |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | stratovolcano |
| Age of rock | Pleistocene |
| First ascent | 1897 by Matthias Zurbriggen and Stuart Vines |
Tupungato is one of the highest mountains in South America. It lies on the border between Chile and the province of Mendoza, Argentina, about 168 kilometers east of Santiago, Chile. It is located sixty miles south of Aconcagua and gives its name to an important Argentine wine producing region within Mendoza, the Tupungato Department. It is in close proximity to a major international highway, and lies roughly fifty miles east of Santiago de Chile. Many villages are found in the area. Tupungato is traditionally approached from either the north, west, or south.
Tupungato is a volcano dating to Pleistocene times. Nearby is the smaller peak known as Tupungatito, which is active, and whose last eruption was in 1987.[2]
On August 2, 1947, Star Dust, an Avro Lancastrian carrying 11 passengers over the Andes range, crashed into a steep glacier near the Tupungato's summit. The plane was instantly buried in the resulting avalanche and heavy snowfall that was taking place at the time. The plane laid undetected inside deep glacial ice for over 50 years before its remnants re-emerged at the glacier's moraine in 2000. Shortly thereafter, a team discovered the scattered debris and wreckage, collecting some of the evidence for investigation.
[edit] References
- ^ The elevation of 6,570 metres given is from Chilean 1:50,000 topographic mapping and is in agreement with SRTM data; a frequently given elevation of 6,800 metres is incorrect.
- ^ Tupungatito on the Global Volcanism Program
[edit] External links
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