Licancabur
| Licancabur | |
|---|---|
 Summit of the Licancabur volcano |
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| Elevation | 5,920 m (19,423 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location |  Chile Bolivia |
| Range | Andes |
| Coordinates | 22°50′01″S 67°52′58″W / 22.83361°S 67.88278°W |
| Geology | |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Age of rock | Holocene |
| Last eruption | Unknown |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Inca, pre-Columbian |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Licancabur is a highly symmetrical stratovolcano on the southernmost part of the border between Chile and Bolivia. It is located just southwest of Laguna Verde in Bolivia. The volcano dominates the landscape of the Salar de Atacama area. The lower two thirds of the northeastern slope of the volcano belong to Bolivia, 5,400 m (17,717 ft) from the foot at 4,360 m (14,304 ft), while the rest and biggest part, including the higher third of the northeastern slope, the crater and summit, belong to Chile.[1][2]
The summit and the crater are located entirely in Chile, slightly over 1 km (3,281 ft) to the south west of the international borders, it is about 400 m (1,312 ft) wide and contains a 70 m (230 ft) by 90 m (295 ft) crater lake, Licancabur Lake, which is ice-covered most of the year. This is one of the highest lakes in the world, and despite air temperatures which can drop to -30 °C, it contains planktonic fauna.
Licancabur's most recent volcanic activity produced extensive lava flows which extend 6 km down the northwest and southwest flanks, with older lava flows reaching 15 km (9 mi) and pyroclastic flow deposits as far as 12 km (7 mi) from the peak. Extensive Inca ruins, located on the summit, provide proof of pre-Columbian ascents as well as evidence for the absence of major eruptions over the past 500-1.000 years.
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[edit] Naming
The word Licancabur is the Castilianization of a Kunza name used by the Atacameño Likan-antay people to refer to the volcano: lican - people, cabur - mountain, thus meaning "Mountain of the People."
[edit] Gallery
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Licancabur, view of the volcano from San Pedro de Atacama.
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Licancabur, seen from Laguna Verde (Bolivia).
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High view of the Chajnantor Plateau, taken from the top of Licancabur.
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Licancabur & Laguna Verde
[edit] See also
- List of volcanoes in Bolivia
- List of volcanoes in Chile
- Juriques
- Laguna Verde (Bolivia)
- Sairecabur
- Purico Complex
- Llano de Chajnantor Observatory
- Licancabur Lake (Chile)
[edit] References
- "Licancabur". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1505-092.
- Biggar, John (2005). The Andes: A Guide for Climbers (3rd ed.). Andes Publishing (Scotland). p. 304 pp. ISBN 0-9536087-2-7. http://www.andes.org.uk/.
- González-Ferrán, Oscar (1995). Volcanes de Chile. Santiago, Chile: Instituto Geográfico Militar. p. 640 pp. ISBN 956-202-054-1. (in Spanish; also includes volcanoes of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru)
- De Silva, Shanaka L.; Francis, Peter (1991). Volcanoes of the Central Andes. Springer-Verlag. p. 216 pp. ISBN 3540537066.
- NASA Licancabur Expedition: Exploring the Highest Lakes on Earth
[edit] External links
- Excursion al Volcán Licancabur
- Licancabur, tour 2003
- Highest Lakes on Earth
- Licancabur, cerca de Marte - Mercuria Calama article - (In Spanish).
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