Lautaro (volcano)
Lautaro | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Listing | Ultra |
Coordinates | 49°01′08″S 73°30′14″W / 49.019°S 73.504°W[1] |
Geography | |
Location | Aisén, Chile |
Parent range | Andes |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
Volcanic arc/belt | Austral Volcanic Zone |
Last eruption | March 1979 |
Climbing | |
First ascent | 29 January 1964 by Peter Skvarca and Luciano Pera |
Easiest route | snow/ice climb |
Lautaro is an active subglacial stratovolcano located in Chilean Patagonia, in the northern part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Its summit rises roughly 2,400 m (7,900 ft) above the average surface of the ice cap plateau.
Geography and geomorphology
[edit]Lautaro is located within the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and is the highest summit in its area. Bad weather and remote location make the volcano difficult to access.[2] The existence of a volcano at Lautaro was recognized in 1879, but it was identified as Lautaro only in 1961.[3] The volcano was named in 1952;[4] it was originally named "volcán de Los Gigantes"[3] and sometimes confused with the neighbouring non-volcano Cerro FitzRoy.[1]
The volcano is a composite volcano and a stratovolcano covered with glaciers.[5] Its elevation is variously given as 3,542 metres (11,621 ft),[1] 3,380 metres (11,089 ft)[6] or 3,067 metres (10,062 ft). It rises about 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) above the surrounding ice, and bears traces of glacial erosion. The edifice covers an area of about 150 square kilometres (58 sq mi)[7] and about 90% of it is covered with ice. It has a parasitic vent on the western side[8] and two volcanic craters just north of the summit, one of which is 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide.[1] The Lautaro Glacier descends the western slope, while the icefield at the eastern foot is drained by the O'Higgins Glacier.[9]
It is part of the Austral Volcanic Zone (AVZ), a belt of volcanoes in southwesternmost South America that includes (from north to south) Lautaro, Viedma, Aguilera, Reclus, Burney and Cook.[10] All these volcanoes do not exceed 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) height and most have produced tephras during the Holocene.[5] North of Lautaro comes first a volcanic gap,[a] then Mount Hudson from the Southern Volcanic Zone.[14]
Geology
[edit]Off the southwestern tip of South America, the Antarctic Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate at a rate of 2 centimetres per year (0.79 in/year). The subduction process is responsible for the volcanism of the AVZ. To the north the subduction zone is limited by the Chile Triple Junction, to the south it gradually leads into the Magallanes-Fagnano fault zone. Other volcanoes in the region are Cerro Pampa northeast of Lautaro, which was active in the Miocene, Cerro del Fraile south-southeast and the Pali-Aike volcanic field far southeast of it.[10]
With the exception of a granite outcrop west of the volcano,[7] the basement under Lautaro is hidden beneath ice, but in the rest of the AVZ it consists of Paleozoic-Mesozoic metamorphic rocks, subsequent Mesozoic to Cenozoic volcanic rocks and sediments. Several AVZ volcanoes are located close to or on the South Patagonian Batholith.[5]
Lautaro has erupted dacite with a porphyritic to vitrophyric texture. Phenocrysts include biotite, clinopyroxene, hornblende, orthopyroxene, plagioclase and quartz.[15] Rocks of the AVZ define an adakitic suite.[16] The peculiar composition of AVZ magmas appears to reflect the melting of slab rocks from the downgoing Antarctic Plate.[17]
Eruption history
[edit]Potassium-argon dating has yielded ages of 161,000±11,000 to 30,000±73,000 years years.[18] A 43,400 years old tephra layer in Laguna Potrok Aike might originate from Lautaro, while the attribution of 35,600 and 34,200 years old tephra layers to this volcano is less certain.[19] Two tephra layers in Lago Cardiel emplaced 3,345 and 3,010 years ago could come from Lautaro or another northern AVZ volcano.[20] Three tephra layers in the Lago Viedma-Lago San Martin have been attributed to Lautaro.[21]
Lautaro is the most historically active volcano of the AVZ, with several eruptions.[8] Activity is recorded from 1876, 1878–1879, 1883, 1933, 1945, 1959–1960, 1972 and 1978–1979.[b][23] The 1959 eruption was observed from aircraft, clarifying the position of the volcano,[c][24] and is the only well-documented historic eruption in the AVZ.[d][5] Other possible eruptions took place in 1876, 1878, 1972 and 1976,[25] and an unknown volcano erupted in 1886.[23]
In the outflow glaciers of the Patagonian ice cap[1] and in aerial photographs,[26] volcanic ash and pumice from Lautaro have been noted on adjacent glaciers; block-and-ash flows may indicate the past occurrence of lava domes or coulees.[7] Tephra layers from several historical eruptions have been found in adjacent lakes,[23] where ecosystems were altered by the ash fallout.[27] However, distinguishing between Lautaro tephras and these of neighbouring volcanoes is difficult.[19]
In 1960 a fissure on the northern side was seen producing steam.[28] Fumarolic activity was also observed in 1964,[26] and smelled of sulfur.[6] Continuing fumarolic activity was observed in 1974.[29]
Ascent history
[edit]The first ascent of Lautaro was made by Peter Skvarca and Luciano Pera, on 29 January 1964. They climbed the southeast ridge, encountering many crevasses, some steep ice walls, cornices, and a snow mushroom at the summit. They found an active crater and strong sulfurous emissions near the summit.[6] The second ascent was made by Eric Jones, Mick Coffey, and Leo Dickinson on 2 March 1973, as part of a crossing of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.[29] Both the Pacific Ocean and the mountains to the east are visible from its summit.[30]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ A volcano named Mimosa lies about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Lautaro and was fumarolically active in 1973.[11] Cerro Arenales is also located north of Lautaro[12] but it's not clear that it actually is a volcano.[13]
- ^ Tephra attributed to a volcano Arenales north of Lautaro may instead come from Lautaro.[22]
- ^ A German expedition in 1934 had discovered an active volcano, but without specifying where. This led to a long mystery of where this volcano was and whether there was more than one.[24]
- ^ A newspaper report in the region was dedicated to the eruption.[24]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e GVP 2023, General Information.
- ^ Orihashi et al. 2004, Discussion and Conclusions: Evolution of Hudson and Lautaro Volcanoes: Lautaro Volcano.
- ^ a b Martinic 2016, p. 66.
- ^ Lliboutry 2007.
- ^ a b c d Stern & Kilian 1996, p. 265.
- ^ a b c Arko & Skvarca 1964, p. 223.
- ^ a b c Orihashi et al. 2004, Regional Geology and Field Observations: Lautaro Volcano.
- ^ a b Balbi et al. 2019, p. 20.
- ^ Motoki et al. 2006, Introduction.
- ^ a b Stern & Kilian 1996, p. 264.
- ^ Mateo 2008, p. 12.
- ^ Mayr et al. 2019, p. 207.
- ^ Stern et al. 2015, p. 17.
- ^ Orihashi et al. 2013, p. 236.
- ^ Orihashi et al. 2004, Samples and Petrography: Lautaro Volcano.
- ^ Stern & Kilian 1996, p. 267.
- ^ Orihashi et al. 2004, Introduction.
- ^ Orihashi et al. 2004, K-Ar dating results: Lautaro Volcano.
- ^ a b Smith et al. 2019, p. 149.
- ^ Markgraf et al. 2003, p. 583.
- ^ Villegas et al. 2009, Caracterización química de los materiales piroclásticos.
- ^ Fontijn et al. 2014, p. 75.
- ^ a b c Mayr et al. 2019, p. 216.
- ^ a b c Mateo 2008, p. 9.
- ^ Motoki et al. 2006, Recent volcanic eruptions of the Lautaro volcano..
- ^ a b Motoki et al. 2006, Recent volcanic eruptions of the Lautaro volcano.
- ^ Mayr et al. 2019, p. 218.
- ^ Shipton 1960, p. 395.
- ^ a b Dickinson 1974, p. 201.
- ^ Dickinson 1974, p. 200.
Sources
[edit]- Arko, Vojslav; Skvarca, Peter (1964). "Cerro Gorra Blanca and Volcán Lautaro". American Alpine Journal.
- Balbi, Adriana Beatriz; Bedmar, José Manuel; Kaufman, Johanna Florencia; Oliva, Jesús A.; Villegas, Daniela Claudia (2019). Estudio de peligrosidad geológica de la localidad de El Chaltén y de procesos de remoción en masa de la ladera norte del cerro Solo. Santa Cruz, Argentina (pdf) (Report). Contribuciones Técnicas - Peligrosidad Geológica (in Spanish). Vol. 19. Buenos Aires: Instituto de Geología y Recursos Minerales, Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. p. 83. ISSN 2618-5024.
- Dickinson, Leo (1974). "Lautaro" (PDF). American Alpine Journal: 200–201. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007See the accompanying note by H. Adams Carter.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - Fontijn, Karen; Lachowycz, Stefan M.; Rawson, Harriet; Pyle, David M.; Mather, Tamsin A.; Naranjo, José A.; Moreno-Roa, Hugo (April 2014). "Late Quaternary tephrostratigraphy of southern Chile and Argentina". Quaternary Science Reviews. 89: 70–84. Bibcode:2014QSRv...89...70F. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.02.007.
- "Lautaro". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- Lliboutry, Louis (2007). "P 1386-I - Chile and Argentina - Wet Andes: Expeditions". Archived from the original on 10 May 2008.
- Markgraf, Vera; Bradbury, J. Platt; Schwalb, Antje; Burns, Stephen J.; Stern, Charles; Ariztegui, Daniel; Gilli, Adrian; Anselmetti, Flavio S.; Stine, Scott; Maidana, Nora (May 2003). "Holocene palaeoclimates of southern Patagonia: limnological and environmental history of Lago Cardiel, Argentina". The Holocene. 13 (4): 581–591. Bibcode:2003Holoc..13..581M. doi:10.1191/0959683603hl648rp. S2CID 129856246.
- Martinic, Mateo B. (2016). "La erupción del volcán de Los Gigantes (Lautaro) en 1883: Algunas consideraciones". Magallania (Punta Arenas). 44 (2): 65–68. doi:10.4067/S0718-22442016000200003. ISSN 0718-2244.
- Mateo, Mateo (9 December 2008). "Registro Histórico de Antecedentes Volcánicos y Sísmicos en la Patagonia Austral y la Tierra del Fuego. Historic Record of Volcanic and Seismic Precedents in Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego". Magallania (in Spanish). 36 (2): 5–18. ISSN 0718-2244.
- Mayr, Christoph; Smith, Rebecca E.; García, M. Luján; Massaferro, Julieta; Lücke, Andreas; Dubois, Nathalie; Maidana, Nora I.; Meier, Wolfgang J.-H.; Wissel, Holger; Zolitschka, Bernd (August 2019). "Historical eruptions of Lautaro Volcano and their impacts on lacustrine ecosystems in southern Argentina". Journal of Paleolimnology. 62 (2): 205–221. Bibcode:2019JPall..62..205M. doi:10.1007/s10933-019-00088-y. S2CID 189952372.
- Motoki, Akihisa; Orihashi, Yuji; Naranjo, José A.; Hirata, Daiji; Skvarca, Pedro; Anma, Ryo (January 2006). "Geologic reconnaissance of Lautaro Volcano, Chilean Patagonia". Revista Geológica de Chile. 33 (1): 177–187. doi:10.4067/S0716-02082006000100008. ISSN 0716-0208.
- Orihashi, Yuji; Naranjo, José A.; Motoki, Akihisa; Sumino, Hirochika; Hirata, Daiji; Anma, Ryo; Nagao, Keisuke (December 2004). "Quaternary volcanic activity of Hudson and Lautaro volcanoes, Chilean Patagonia: New constraints from K-Ar ages". Revista Geológica de Chile. 31 (2): 207–224. doi:10.4067/S0716-02082004000200002. ISSN 0716-0208.
- Orihashi, Yuji; Anma, Ryo; Motoki, Akihisa; Haller, Miguel J.; Hirata, Daiji; Iwano, Hideki; Sumino, Hirochika; Ramos, Victor A. (2013). "Evolution history of the crust underlying Cerro Pampa, Argentine Patagonia: Constraint from LA-ICPMS U-Pb ages for exotic zircons in the Mid-Miocene adakite". Geochemical Journal. 47 (2): 235–247. Bibcode:2013GeocJ..47..235O. doi:10.2343/geochemj.2.0242. hdl:11336/5400.
- Shipton, Eric (1960). "Volcanic Activity on the Patagonian Ice Cap". The Geographical Journal. 126 (4): 389–396. Bibcode:1960GeogJ.126..389S. doi:10.2307/1793373. ISSN 0016-7398. JSTOR 1793373.
- Smith, Rebecca E.; Smith, Victoria C.; Fontijn, Karen; Gebhardt, A. Catalina; Wastegård, Stefan; Zolitschka, Bernd; Ohlendorf, Christian; Stern, Charles; Mayr, Christoph (August 2019). "Refining the Late Quaternary tephrochronology for southern South America using the Laguna Potrok Aike sedimentary record". Quaternary Science Reviews. 218: 137–156. Bibcode:2019QSRv..218..137S. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.06.001.
- Stern, C. R.; Kilian, Rolf (15 April 1996). "Role of the subducted slab, mantle wedge and continental crust in the generation of adakites from the Andean Austral Volcanic Zone". Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. 123 (3): 263–281. Bibcode:1996CoMP..123..263S. doi:10.1007/s004100050155. S2CID 59944205.
- Stern, Charles; Moreno, Patricio I.; Henríquez, William I.; Villa-Martínez, Rodrigo; Sagredo, Esteban; Aravena, Juan C.; Pol-Holz, Ricardo de (30 September 2015). "Holocene tephrochronology around Cochrane (~47° S), southern Chile". Andean Geology. 43 (1): 1–19. doi:10.5027/andgeoV43n1-a01. ISSN 0718-7106.
- Villegas, Daniela D.; Pereyra, Fernando X.; Viaggio, Adriana M.; Ferrer, José A. (April 2009). "Ocurrencia de materiales piroclásticos en suelos de tres sectores del oeste de Santa Cruz". Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina. 64 (2): 303–311. ISSN 0004-4822.