Acotango

Acotango

The volcanoes Acotango (left) and Capurata (right)
Elevation 6,052 m (19,856 ft)
Listing List of mountains in the Andes
Location
Acotango

Bolivia-Chile

Range Andes
Coordinates 18°22′56″S 69°02′52″W / 18.38222°S 69.04778°WCoordinates: 18°22′56″S 69°02′52″W / 18.38222°S 69.04778°W
Geology
Type Stratovolcano
Last eruption Unknown - within the last 10,000 years
Climbing
First ascent 1965 Club Andino de Chile
Easiest route snow/ice climb

Acotango is the central and highest of a group of stratovolcanoes straddling the border of Bolivia and Chile. It is 6,052 metres (19,856 ft) high. The group is known as Kimsa Chata and consists of three mountains: Acotango, Umurata (5,730 metres (18,799 ft)) north of it and Capurata (5,990 metres (19,652 ft)) south of it.

The group lies along a north-south alignment. The Acotango volcano is heavily eroded, but a lava flow on its northern flank is morphologically young, suggesting Acotango was active in the Holocene.[1]

The volcano is a popular hiking route in the Sajama National Park and Lauca National Park. To climb the summit from the Chilean side is dangerous due to land mines, however it is relatively safe to climb the summit from the Bolivian side.[2] The southern ascent starts over a glacier and passes an abandoned copper mine.

It is believed that Pedro Rosende, a Chilean explorer, found the remains of firewood at the summit of Acotango. Because of this, it is thought that the mountain might have been one of the high Incan Andean sanctuaries. However, more exploration is needed to verify this information.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Acotango Volcano" nd Volcano Discovery http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/acotango.html
  2. ↑ Andean Summits 2013 Acotango;One of the triplets http://www.andeansummits.com/content/acotango-one-tripplets
  3. ↑ Chiles 6000 nd Volcan Acotango South Face http://www.los6000dechile.cl/pdf/bch_cumbres_03_acotango.pdf