Maipo (volcano)
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| Maipo | |
|---|---|
 Satellite image of Maipo |
|
| Elevation | 5,264 metres (17,270 ft)[1] |
| Location | Argentina-Chile |
| Range | Andes |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | 1908 |
| First ascent | 1883 by Paul Güssfeldt[2] |
| Easiest route | snow/ice climb |
Maipo is a stratovolcano in the Andes, lying on the border between Argentina and Chile. It is located 90 km (55 miles) south of Tupungato and about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Santiago.
Maipo retains a symmetrical, conical volcanic shape, unlike many of the other nearby peaks, making it the best known peak in the region, though it is not the highest. (Nearby Castillo is 5,485 m high.)[3] Maipo is also almost the southernmost 5,000 metre peak in the Andes. (That honor goes to Sosneado, about 50 km to the south).
Maipo is located within the Diamante Caldera, a feature of about 15 km by 20 km size that is about one-half million years old. It rises about 1,900 m (6,230 ft) above the floor of the caldera. Immediately to the east of the peak, on the eastern side of the caldera floor, is Laguna del Diamante, a picturesque lake that formed when lava flows blocked drainage channels from the caldera in 1826.
The region's climate is transitional between the drier Mediterranean climate of the peaks to the north and the cold, moist climate of Chilean Patagonia. Hence, while less glaciated than Patagonia, it has more permanent snow (on the wet, Chilean side) than peaks of similar elevation to the north.[3]
[edit] References
- Volcan Maipo or Maipú (span.) [[1]]
- Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program: Maipo
- ^ The given height is supported by SRTM data. Higher elevations given by some other authorities are incorrect.
- ^ Taken from Mountaineering in the Andes by Jill Neate: Central Chile
- ^ a b Michael R. Kelsey, Climbers and Hikers Guide to the World's Mountains (Third Edition), Kelsey Publishing, 1990, ISBN 0-944510-02-7
