How long is the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes?
Andean Volcanic Belt
The South Volcanic Zone (SVZ) extends roughly from Central Chile's Andes at the latitude of Santiago, at ca. 33°S, to Cerro Arenales in Aysén Region at ca. 46°S, a distance of well over 870 mi (1,400 km). The arc has formed due to subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate along the Peru–Chile Trench. The northern boundary of the SVZ is marked by the flat-slab subduction of the Juan Fernández Ridge, which is believed to have produced a volcanic gap called the "Pampean flat-slab segment" in the Norte Chico region since the late Miocene. The southern end of the SVZ is marked by the Chile Triple Junction where the Chile Rise subducts under South America at the Taitao Peninsula giving origin to the "Patagonian Volcanic Gap". Further south lies the Austral Volcanic Zone.
Macusani (volcano)
Volcanism and tectonism in the Central Andes has been ongoing since the late Oligocene. Volcanism has been occurring in two broad regions, the principal volcanic arc and a secondary volcanic arc in the Cordillera Oriental whose origin is less clear. In that area, the Brazilian Shield subducts beneath the Andean orogen. The origin of the Macusani volcanics has been variously attributed to frictional heating of the subducting Brazilian shield, the subduction itself or a hotspot.
Cerro El Cóndor
Cerro El Cóndor is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes together with about 110 other Quaternary volcanoes, and lies in the southern sector of the volcanic zone; other volcanic zones in the Andes are the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone. The history of volcanic activity is poorly known for most of these volcanoes owing to the lack of dating; only a few historical eruptions have been recorded, such as an eruption at Ojos del Salado in 1993.
Doña Ines
Doña Ines is part of the Maricunga Belt, a volcanic arc at the western edge of the Puna plateau. Doña Ines together with Cerros Bravos, La Coipa and the Maricunga volcanoes lies in the northern part of the belt, west of the Central Volcanic Zone. Volcanic activity within this belt has generated a number of mineral deposits. Doña Ines lies in the northern part of the belt. It is considered part of a volcanic chain with the Pastillito and Volcan de la Sal cones, probably dependent on tectonic fractures, which lies in a long north-south valley. The volcano is the source of the Inez Chica ignimbrite, a rhyolitic ignimbrite erupted 16.2 million years ago which covers a surface area of .
El Tatio
El Tatio is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, a segment of the Andes between 14° and 28° southern latitude where the Andes are volcanically active. This volcanism manifests itself with about 10 silicic caldera complexes of the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex and more than 50 recently active volcanoes; Lascar in 1993 erupted and produced a tall eruption column.
Ollagüe
Ollagüe () or Ullawi () is a massive andesite stratovolcano in the Andes on the border between Bolivia and Chile, within the Antofagasta Region of Chile and the Potosi Department of Bolivia. Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, its highest summit is above sea level and features a summit crater that opens to the south. The western rim of the summit crater is formed by a compound of lava domes, the youngest of which features a vigorous fumarole that is visible from afar.
Putana (volcano)
Volcanism in the Central Andes is the consequence of the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate and occurs in form of the long Central Volcanic Zone, one of four volcanic belts in the Andes. The Peruvian and the Pampean "flat slab" segments separate this volcanic belt from its neighbours, the Northern Volcanic Zone to the north and the Southern Volcanic Zone south respectively.
Sollipulli
Sollipulli is part of the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes, one of the four belts of volcanoes which are found in the mountain range. The other three are the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone (both north of the Southern Volcanic Zone) and the Austral Volcanic Zone (south of the Southern Volcanic Zone). These volcanic zones are separated by gaps where there is no volcanic activity and the subduction of the Pacific Ocean crust is shallower than in the volcanically active areas. About 60 volcanoes have erupted in historical time in the Andes, and 118 additional volcanic systems show evidence of Holocene eruptions.
Aguilera (volcano)
Volcanism occurs along much of the Andes, partly due to the subduction of the Antarctic Plate and partly due to the subduction of the Nazca Plate, in each case beneath the South America Plate. The latter subduction gives rise to the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone and the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes, the Austral Volcanic Zone was once considered part of the Southern Volcanic Zone.
Sillajhuay
About 50 different volcanoes and geothermal features have been active in the Central Andes during the Holocene, with earthquakes observed at Guallatiri, Irruputuncu, Isluga, Lascar, Olca, Parinacota and Putana. Most volcanoes of the CVZ are relatively poorly researched and many exceed of elevation. Some of these edifices were active during historical time; these include El Misti, Lascar, San Pedro and Ubinas; the largest historical eruption of the CVZ occurred in 1600 at Huaynaputina. Other volcanoes in the CVZ that have been the subject of research are Galan and Purico complex. The CVZ has a characteristically thick crust () and the volcanic rocks have peculiar oxygen and strontium isotope ratios in comparison to the SVZ and NVZ.
Ramadas Volcanic Centre
The volcano lies north of the town of San Antonio de Los Cobres. It is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, a belt of volcanoes spanning Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. The Central Volcanic Zone includes the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex, where during the late Miocene large explosive eruptions of silicic composition occurred; Ramadas is part of this volcanic complex. The basement beneath Ramadas is formed by the Puncoviscana Formation of Precambrian-Cambrian age and the site of the volcano coincides with a fault.
Tacora
Subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate is responsible for the volcanism of the Andes. This volcanism does not occur along the entire strike of the Andes, but in three selected volcanic belts, the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone and the Southern Volcanic Zone. A fourth volcanic zone, the Austral Volcanic Zone, lies south of the Southern Volcanic Zone. These volcanically active belts are separated by gaps where recent volcanism is absent and the subducting plate descends in a much shallower angle.
Valdivian temperate rain forest
Temperate rain forests comprise a relatively narrow coastal strip between the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the southern Andes Mountains to the east, from roughly 37° to 48° south latitude. North of 42°, the Chilean coastal range runs along the coast, and the north-south running Chilean Central Valley lies between the coastal range and the Andes. South of 42°, the coast range continues as a chain of offshore islands, including Chiloé Island and the Chonos Archipelago, while the "Central Valley" is submerged and continues as the Gulf of Corcovado. Much of the ecoregion was covered by the Patagonian Ice Sheet and other glaciers at the peak of the last ice age, which descended from the Andes mountains, and the numerous lakes of the Chilean lakes district in the central part of the ecoregion were originally glacial valleys, while the southern part of the region has many glacier-carved fjords.
Aucanquilcha
Aucanquilcha is part of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of the Andes, a highly silicic volcanic zone in South America. The CVZ generates magmas at a rate of , one tenth of the global average of arc magma production, and lies about above the Wadati–Benioff zone. The arc has migrated eastward towards the high Andes from the Pacific Ocean coast since the Jurassic. The arc contains andesitic volcanoes, ignimbrites and compound volcanoes and has generated over of eruption products over 28 million years.
Apacheta-Aguilucho volcanic complex
The volcano is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes. The Central Volcanic Zone further includes the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex, which between 10 and 1 million years ago was the source of large ignimbrite eruptions; after that it produced lava flows and lava domes like Cerro Chao and geothermal fields such as El Tatio and Sol de Mañana. Volcanic activity is the consequence of the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate.
Licancabur
The Andean Volcanic Belt consists of three main volcanic zones: the Northern Volcanic Zone (from 2° N to 5° S), the Central Volcanic Zone (16° to 28° S) and the Southern Volcanic Zone (33° to 46° S). Active volcanism occurs where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate. The plates are separated by shallower subduction zones, with no present-day volcanism. These shallower zones have been attributed to the high speed of the plate collision, the young age of the subducting oceanic lithosphere and the curvature of the subducting plate. The most plausible theory is that variations in buoyancy of a subducting plate creates a flat subduction zone. The Cocos, Juan Fernandez and Nazca Ridges are associated with such volcanic gaps where they collide with the oceanic trench. The subduction of spreading ridges can also diminish volcanism, as observed in the Chile Rise further south. The buoyancy of these crustal structures may hinder subduction, reducing water supply to the mantle and inducing the formation of melts.
Uturunku
The Central Andes and the Central Volcanic Zone formed in response to the subduction at a rate of about at an angle of 25° of the Nazca Plate below the South American Plate. Uturuncu is located in the back-arc region of this subduction. The onset of the modern orogeny was precipitated by the breakup of the Farallon Plate 26 mya, resulting in accelerated and steepening subduction of the now-Nazca plate. After a 14 million year phase of shallow subduction, 12 mya the subduction steepened to the current angle of 30° by 3 mya. The Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex (APVC) formed during this time.
Andean Volcanic Belt
The CVZ is characterized by a continental crust that reaches a thickness of approximately 70 km. Within this zone there are 44 major and 18 minor volcanic centers that are considered to be active. This volcanic zone also contains not less than six potentially active large silicic volcanic systems, which include those of the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex, as are Cerro Panizos, Pastos Grandes, Cerro Guacha and La Pacana. Other silicic systems are Los Frailes ignimbrite plateau in Bolivia, and the caldera complexes of Incapillo and Cerro Galán in Argentina.
Antofalla
Off the western coast of South America, the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South America Plate at a rate of about ; this subduction is responsible for volcanic activity in the Central Volcanic Zone and elsewhere in the Andes. Volcanism does not occur along the entire length of the subduction zone; north of 15° and south of 28° the subducting plate moves downward at a shallower angle and this is associated with the absence of volcanic activity. Other volcanic zones exist in the Andes, including the Northern Volcanic Zone in Colombia and Ecuador and the Southern Volcanic Zone also in Chile. A furtherourth volcanic zone, the Austral Volcanic Zone, is caused by the subduction of the Antarctic Plate beneath the South America Plate and lies south of the Southern Volcanic Zone.
Nevado San Francisco
The volcano is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes. It is composed from andesite with the exception of basaltic cones and lava flows on the eastern side. These cones are part of the Peinado lineament and a sample was dated 200,000 years ago by argon chronology. They are noteworthy for their olivine phenocrysts. One lava flow less than one million years old reaches a length of . The western slopes contain dacitic lava domes. On the summit lie two circle-shaped constructs, of Inca or Formative period ages.
Wheelwright caldera
Wheelwright caldera is a caldera in Chile. It is variously described as being between and wide and lies in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes. A lake lies within the caldera, which is among the largest of the Central Andes. The caldera lies in the region of Ojos del Salado, the world's tallest volcano.
Linzor
Linzor volcano is part of the Central Volcanic Zone. The Andean Central Volcanic Zone has erupted large ignimbrites and lava flows. Dominant rocks are andesite and dacite. One part of the Central Volcanic Zone is the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex, a system of ignimbrite sheets and lava domes that was active between 8.4 and 2.9 million years ago and is underpinned by a layer of partially molten crust. In the Linzor area, volcanism is represented by the 8.3 million years old Sifon ignimbrite, Cerro Chillahuita and Cerro Chao.
Cerro Blanco (volcano)
The Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes is an area between 14–28° southern latitude where volcanic activity dates to the Eocene. Ignimbritic activity has occurred over the whole area, particularly north of 25° southern latitude where the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex is situated. Ignimbrites are primarily rhyolite and rhyodacite and subordinate shoshonite. The more southern ignimbrites are felsic and have a low crystal content. With the exception of the Luingo caldera and Cerro Galán, most volcanism south of 25° southern latitude is of low volume. After a phase of pyroclastic activity in the Antofalla area during the Eocene, a number of volcanoes formed from calc-alkaline magmas during the Miocene. Changes in subduction geometry including the removal of continental crust from the boundary 8-3 mya have caused a thickening of the crust as well as an eastward shift of the volcanic front. Huaynaputina volcano in Peru is part of the Central Volcanic Zone and had a major eruption in 1600.
Tunupa
Volcanism in the Andes occurs in a frontal volcanic arc, but also in the back-arc region. This back-arc volcanism that Tunupa is part of has an uncertain origin; one proposed process is delamination, whereby the lowermost mafic section of the crust and lithosphere underneath separates itself from the above lying layers. This separation process then triggers volcanic activity through as-yet unclear mechanisms and processes. Back-arc volcanism in the region started about 25-30 million years ago.
Antofalla
Antofalla is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, which runs along the border between Argentina and Chile and whose main expression occurs in the Western Cordillera. The volcanoes of the Central Volcanic Zone lie at high altitudes, and the volcanic zone spans the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Present-day activity in the Central Volcanic Zone occurs at Lascar and Lastarria, and about 44 centres have been active in the Holocene. Aside from stratovolcanoes, calderas with large ignimbrites are also part of the Central Volcanic Zone; the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex is a complex of such large calderas.
Cerro Guacha
Guacha is part of a volcanic complex in the back-arc region of the Andes in Bolivia. The Central Andes are underlaid by the Paleoproterozoic-Paleozoic Arequipa-Antofalla terrane. The Central Andes started to form 70 mya. Previously, the area was formed from a Paleozoic marine basin with some early volcanics.
El Tatio
Subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate is responsible for the formation of the Andes. Volcanism does not occur along the entire length of the Andes; there are three volcanic zones called the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone and the Southern Volcanic Zone, all separated by areas with no recent volcanism.
Laguna Escondida (caldera)
The area of the Central Andes and the Puna plateau are covered by thick ignimbrite sheets erupted from large volcanoes, starting from 10 mya ago probably in the northern Puna. In the southern segment of the Central Andes, major fault zones are frequently associated with the volcanic centres.
Andean Volcanic Belt
The Pampean gap or Norte Chico separates the Andes Central and Southern volcanic zones. A low subduction angle caused by the subduction of Juan Fernández Ridge has been pointed out as causing or contributing to the suppression of volcanism.
Andes
In the northern part of the Andes, the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range is often considered to be part of the Andes. The term "cordillera" comes from the Spanish word "cordel", meaning "rope". The Andes range is about wide throughout its length, except in the Bolivian flexure where it is about wide. The Leeward Antilles islands Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, which lie in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela, were thought to represent the submerged peaks of the extreme northern edge of the Andes range, but ongoing geological studies indicate that such a simplification does not do justice to the complex tectonic boundary between the South American and Caribbean plates.
Viedma (volcano)
Off the southernmost west coast of South America, the Antarctic Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate at a rate of . This subduction process is responsible for volcanism in the Austral Volcanic Zone. The Austral Volcanic Zone is one of four volcanic zones in the Andes, the other three are the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone and the Southern Volcanic Zone, all of which are separated from the Austral Volcanic Zone and each other by gaps where no volcanic activity occurs. Unlike the Austral Volcanic Zone, volcanism in these other zones is controlled by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate.
Solimana (volcano)
Solimana is a volcanic massif in the Andes of Peru, South America, that is approximately high. It is considered an extinct volcano that is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the volcanic belts of the Andes. It features a caldera as well as traces of a sector collapse and subsequent erosion. The volcano is glaciated.
Socompa
Volcanism in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes is caused by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate in the Peru-Chile Trench at a rate of . It does not cause volcanism among the entire length of the trench; where the slab is subducting beneath the South America Plate at a shallow angle there is no recent volcanic activity.
Andean Volcanic Belt
Between the latitudes of 3 °S–15 °S in Peru the last volcanic activity occurred 2.7 million years ago in Cordillera Blanca. The lack of volcanism in central and northern Peru is widely attributed to a side effect of the flat-slab (low angle) subduction of the Nazca Plate occurring there. While the subduction of the Nazca Ridge has often been credited for causing this flat-slab and hence the lack of volcanism, many researchers find the gap too wide to be explained by this alone.
Antofalla
Antofalla is a Miocene-Pliocene volcano in Argentina's Catamarca Province. It is part of the volcanic segment of the Andes in Argentina, and it is considered to be part of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the volcanic zones of the Andes. Antofalla forms a group of volcanoes that are aligned on and behind the main volcanic arc. Antofalla itself is a remote volcano.
Lauca (volcano)
Lauca is a high andesitic stratovolcano in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes on the Altiplano in northern Chile. Administratively it is located in Putre, Arica y Parinacota Region. The volcano was active during the Late Miocene from 10.5 million years ago onwards. A major ignimbrite collapsed the volcano in the Late Pliocene.
Ring of Fire
Bolivia hosts numerous active and extinct volcanoes across its territory. The active volcanoes are located in western Bolivia where they make up the Cordillera Occidental, the western limit of the Altiplano plateau. Many of the active volcanoes are international mountains shared with Chile. All Cenozoic volcanoes of Bolivia are part of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of the Andean Volcanic Belt that results due to processes involved in the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate. The Central Volcanic Zone is a major upper Cenozoic volcanic province. Apart from Andean volcanoes, the geology of Bolivia hosts the remnants of ancient volcanoes around the Precambrian Guaporé Shield in the eastern part of the country.
Ubinas
Ubinas, like other Peruvian volcanoes, belongs to the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes. The Central Volcanic Zone is one of four volcanic belts in the Andes; the others are the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone. The Central Volcanic Zone is long, and 69 of its volcanoes have been active in the Holocene epoch.
Aguas Calientes caldera
Aguas Calientes caldera is part of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVC), which is located in southern Peru, northern Chile, southwestern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina in highlands over high. At least six potentially active calderas, 44 active major and 18 active minor volcanoes lie in this area, of which Lascar volcano is the most active. The largest eruption in historical times in the CVZ occurred in 1600 on Huaynaputina volcano in Peru.
Cerro del León
Cerro del León is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, a volcanic belt in the Andes. Volcanic activity occurs since the Oligocene and includes dacitic–rhyolitic ignimbrites. On top of these the main volcanic arc, including andesitic-dacitic stratovolcanoes, has formed away from the Peru–Chile Trench on a crust thick. San Pedro and Lascar have historical activity, but only a few volcanoes have been studied, namely Lascar, Ollagüe and Parinacota.
Purico complex
The Purico complex is a Pleistocene volcanic complex in Chile close to Bolivia, formed by an ignimbrite, several lava domes and stratovolcanoes and one maar. It is one of the Chilean volcanoes of the Andes, and more specifically the Chilean segment of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the four volcanic belts which make up the Andean Volcanic Belt. The Central Volcanic Zone spans Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina and includes 44 active volcanoes as well as the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex, a system of large calderas and ignimbrites of which Purico is a member of. Licancabur to the north, La Pacana southeast and Guayaques to the east are separate volcanic systems.
Andean orogeny
After a period without much tectonic activity in the Early Eocene the Incaic Phase of orogeny occurred in the Mid and Late Eocene. No other tectonic event in the western Peruvian Andes compare with the Incaic Phase in magnitude. Horizontal shortening in during the Incaic Phase resulted in the formation of the Marañón fold and thrust belt. An unconformity cutting across the Marañón fold and thrust belt show the Incaic Phase ended no later than 33 million years ago in the earliest Oligocene.
In the period after the Eocene the Northern Peruvian Andes were subject to the Quechua Phase of orogeny. The Quechua Phase is divided into the sub-phases Quechua 1, Quechua 2 and Quechua 3. The Quechua 1 Phase lasted from 17 to 15 million years ago and included a reactivation of Inca Phase structures in the Cordillera Occidental. 9–8 million years ago, in the Quechua 2 Phase, the older parts of the Andes in northern Peru were thrusted to the northeast. Most of the Sub-Andean zone of northern Peru deformed 7–5 million years ago (Late Miocene) during the Quechua 3 Phase. The Sub-Andean stacked in a thrust belt.
Laguna del Maule (volcano)
The Laguna del Maule lake lies on the crest of the Andes, within a depression with a diameter of . The lake has a depth of , a surface area of , and the surface is at an altitude of . The name of the volcanic field comes from the lake, and the Maule river originates in the lake. Terraces around the lake indicate that water levels have fluctuated in the past. An eruption dated 19,000 ± 700-23,300 ± 400 years ago dammed the lake higher than its present level. When the dam broke 9,400 years ago, a lake outburst flood occurred leaving traces in the down-valley gorge such as scour. Benches and beach bars developed on the shores of this lake, which has left a shoreline around Laguna del Maule.
Incapillo
Incapillo is a Pleistocene caldera, a depression formed by the collapse of a volcano, in the La Rioja province of Argentina. Part of the Argentine Andes, it is considered the southernmost volcanic centre in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes with Pleistocene activity. Incapillo is one of several ignimbritic or calderic systems that, along with 44 active stratovolcanoes, are part of the Central Volcanic Zone.
Lascar (volcano)
The volcanism of Lascar relates to the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate. The Central Andes contain many hundreds of volcanoes, extending over the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. In this remote territory, where eruptions are poorly recorded, many volcanoes are higher than . They are constructed on a crust that is between thick. Volcanic centres include calderas and associated large ignimbrites, lava domes and stratovolcanoes; among the better-researched volcanoes are Galan, Nevados de Payachata, Ollague, Purico Complex, San Pedro–San Pablo, La Pacana, Tata Sabaya and Tumisa. Over 44 volcanoes in the region are considered potentially active, with a number of young volcanoes featuring fumarolic or hydrothermal activity. Guallatiri, for example, features fumarolic activity that is visible in satellite images. Also fumarolically active are: Sabancaya, El Misti, Ubinas, Tacora, Isluga, Irruputuncu, Olca, Ollague, San Pedro, Putana and Lastarria. The largest historical eruption occurred at Huaynaputina in 1600. Given the low population density around many of these volcanoes, there is often little information on their activity.
Andes
The Andes are a Mesozoic–Tertiary orogenic belt of mountains along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of volcanic activity that encompasses the Pacific rim of the Americas as well as the Asia-Pacific region. The Andes are the result of tectonic plate processes, caused by the subduction of oceanic crust beneath the South American Plate. It is the result of a convergent plate boundary between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate The main cause of the rise of the Andes is the compression of the western rim of the South American Plate due to the subduction of the Nazca Plate and the Antarctic Plate. To the east, the Andes range is bounded by several sedimentary basins, such as Orinoco, Amazon Basin, Madre de Dios and Gran Chaco, that separate the Andes from the ancient cratons in eastern South America. In the south, the Andes share a long boundary with the former Patagonia Terrane. To the west, the Andes end at the Pacific Ocean, although the Peru-Chile trench can be considered their ultimate western limit. From a geographical approach, the Andes are considered to have their western boundaries marked by the appearance of coastal lowlands and a less rugged topography. The Andes Mountains also contain large quantities of iron ore located in many mountains within the range.
Nevado Sajama
Nevado Sajama is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, where volcanism is triggered by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate. Changes in the subduction regime took place during the Oligocene and directed an increase of volcanic activity in the region. Volcanoes in the region have ages ranging from Pleistocene to Miocene and grew on top of earlier ignimbrites; the whole volcanic activity was controlled by faults.
Aguas Calientes caldera
The Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), active mainly since the Miocene, is the volcanically active area of the Andes between 16 and 28°S. Its activity is dependent on the subduction of the Nazca Plate, previously the Farallon Plate, below the South American Plate. This subduction process is responsible for the formation of the Andes and the volcanic activity on the eastern margin of the South American continent.
Leon Muerto
The Central Chilean Andes have an arid climate since the Miocene. Thus, a number of volcanic centres going back as far as 25 million years are well preserved. Geologically, this area belongs to the Central Volcanic Zone, a volcanic belt in the Andes, whose magmas are heavily influenced by the thick crust of the area.
Incahuasi
Incahuasi is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes together with about 110 other Quaternary volcanoes, and lies in the southern sector of the volcanic zone; other volcanic zones in the Andes are the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone. The history of volcanic activity is poorly known for most of these volcanoes owing to the lack of dating; only a few historical eruptions have been recorded, such as an eruption at Ojos del Salado in 1993.
Yucamane
Yucamane, Yucamani or Yucumane is an andesitic stratovolcano in the Tacna Region of southern Peru. It is part of the Peruvian segment of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the three volcanic belts of the Andes generated by the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South America plate. Peru's active volcanoes Ubinas, Sabancaya and El Misti are also part of the Central Volcanic Zone.
Andean Volcanic Belt
The Andean Volcanic Belt represents a large geothermal province, with numerous hot springs, solfataras and geysers associated with its volcanoes. Already in the pre-Columbian era, the indigenous peoples used the various hot springs as places of healing. The geothermal exploration in the Chilean Andes was pioneered in the 1960s, although the site of El Tatio was investigated previously in the 1920s. Compared to neighboring Central America, the Andean region is poorly explored and exploited for geothermal resources.
Llullaillaco
Llullaillaco is part of the Central Volcanic Zone. At least 44 volcanic centres with historical activity and 18 large caldera-forming volcanoes have been identified in the Central Volcanic Zone. Volcanism in the Central Volcanic Zone mostly occurs on the Altiplano and the Cordillera Occidental. A number of volcanoes there reach heights of over above sea level. Large Miocene ignimbrites that cover large surfaces are also part of the regional geology. Llullaillaco is located about east of the Peru-Chile Trench. The Wadati-Benioff zone is deep.
Zona Austral
Southward from General Carrera lake is found a wide oblique opening in the range, through which flows the river Baker. The main chain of the Andes in the west is an enormous rugged mass of ice and snow of an average height of 2700 m (9000 ft.), sending glaciers to all the western fjords. Monte San Valentin (4,058 m [13,314 ft.]) is the culminating point of the Andes in the region extending from 49° to 46° S latitude Monte San Lorenzo, detached from the main chain of the Andes, is 3,706 m (12,156 ft.) high.
Galán
Galán is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, which lies on the western margin of South America, where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South America Plate. There are about 50 volcanoes with recent activity in the Central Volcanic Zone, and additional volcanoes exist in the Northern Volcanic Zone and the Southern Volcanic Zone, two other volcanic belts north and south.
Wet Andes
The Wet Andes () is a climatic and glaciological subregion of the Andes. Together with the Dry Andes it is one of the two subregions of the Argentine and Chilean Andes. The Wet Andes runs from a latitude of 35°S to Cape Horn at 56°S. According to Luis Lliboutry the Wet Andes can be classified after the absence of penitentes. In Argentina well developed penitentes are found as south as on Lanín Volcano (40°S). The glaciers of the Wet Andes have a far more stable line of equilibrium than those of the Dry Andes due to summer precipitations, low thermal oscillations and an overall high moisture.
Sillajhuay
The Nazca Plate and Antarctic Plate subduct beneath the South America Plate in the Peru-Chile Trench at a pace of and , respectively, resulting in volcanic activity and geothermal manifestations in the Andes. Present-day volcanism occurs within four discrete belts: The Northern Volcanic Zone (NVZ), the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) and the Austral Volcanic Zone (AVZ). These extend between 2°N-5°S, 16°S-28°S, 33°S-46°S and 49°S-55°S, respectively. Between them they contain about 60 active volcanoes and 118 volcanoes which appear to have been active during the Holocene, not including potentially active very large silicic volcanic systems or very small monogenetic ones. These belts of active volcanism occur where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South America Plate at a steep angle, while in the volcanically inactive gaps between them the subduction is much shallower; thus there is no asthenosphere between the slab of the subducting plate and the overriding plate in the gaps.
Interandean Valles
The rugged topography of the Central Andes creates the warm, dry valleys that typifies the valles. Generally lying between 1,200 and 3,500 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) or 4,000 - 13,000 feet above sea level. Much of the area features steep hillsides and deep canyons, including the world's deepest canyon, the Colca Canyon.
Cerro Alconcha
Cerro Alconcha is an andesitic volcano in the Andes. The volcano is buried by ignimbrites which on its northern side reach an altitude of . These ignimbrites constrain the volcano's age as older than 9.3 mya.
Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex
The Andes mountain chain originated from the subduction of the Nazca Plate below the South American Plate and was accompanied by extensive volcanism. Between 14° S and 28° S lies one volcanic area with over fifty recently active systems, the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ). Since the late Miocene between 21° S and 24° S a major ignimbrite province formed over thick crust, the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex, between the Atacama and the Altiplano. The Toba volcanic system in Indonesia and Taupo in New Zealand are analogous to the province. The APVC is located in the southern Altiplano-Puna plateau, a surface plateau wide and long at an altitude of , and lies east of the volcanic front of the Andes. Deformational belts limit it in the east. The Altiplano itself forms a block that has been geologically stable since the Eocene; below the Atacama area conversely recent extensional dynamics and a weakened crust exist. The Puna has a higher average elevation than the Altiplano, and some individual volcanic centres reach altitudes of more than . The basement of the northern Puna is of Ordovician to Eocene age.
Cerro Araral
Cerro Araral is a mountain located in the Andes on the border between Chile and Bolivia in the Potosí Department and in the Antofagasta Region. It has a height of 5647 metres, rising over a base of 3900 metres and covers an area of . The edifice has a volume of , down from due to erosion. Based on the erosion rate, the volcano is 1.9 million years old. The modern snowline on the mountain lies at more than altitude. The volcanism is at first andesitic and later becomes intermediary between andesite and basalt.
Payún Matrú
The volcanic field is part of the backarc area of the Southern Volcanic Zone, a long volcanic arc and together with the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone one of four volcanic belts in the Andes. Among these volcanoes is Laguna del Maule almost due west from Payún Matrú.
Cordón de Puntas Negras
Cordón de Puntas Negras is constructed along the major Calama–Olacapato–El Toro fault and is long. The volcanic chain intersects with the Cordón Chalviri volcanic chain. Both chains cover a surface area of and contain cones, vents, lava domes, lava flows and maars, including a lava dome and silicic flow with a surface area of . Puntas Negras specifically covers an area of , which runs from the Chiliques volcano on the north to volcán Puntas Negras () almost to the SE. The Puntas Negras Volcano forms the common endpoint of two chains of volcanoes in a V-shaped configuration. The southern leg of the V is called "Cordón Chalviri" whose other extreme is the Cerro Tuyajto, SW of Puntas Negras and at the same distance SE of the Miñiques volcano. Several small volcanic centres and lava flows are found here, including Aguas Calientes, Cerros Cenizas, Chinchilla and Laguna Escondida which have well preserved craters. The volcanic chain is associated with a topographic anomaly in the region, a property that other volcanoes in the area also have.
Monte Burney
The Andes feature about four areas of volcanic activity from north to south: the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone. Aside from the main belt, so-called "back-arc" volcanism occurs as far as behind the volcanic arc. These volcanic zones are separated by gaps lacking volcanic activity.
Cerro Tuzgle
Volcanic activity as well as general tectonism in the Central Andes is caused by the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate at a horizontal pace of or forming the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) between latitude 16 and 28° south. Starting with activity in the Coastal Cordillera during the Jurassic (La Negra formation), this has caused spatially complex patterns of volcanic activity as well as the formation of the Altiplano-Puna highland with dimensions of . Maximum deformation occurred during the late Miocene, with the formation of tectonic highs and lows. Small andesitic-basaltic volcanic centres of Quaternary age are associated with faulting. Seismic activity is still ongoing at the edge of the Puna, indicating thrusting. The crust beneath the CVZ is thick.
Cordillera Central (Peru)
The Cordillera Central (Spanish for central mountain range) is part of the Andes in Peru. It extends in a northerly direction approximately between 11º 39’ and 12º 37’S and 75º 30’ and 76º 20’W (or between 11°37' and 12°26'S and 75°30' and 76°18'W) for about 60 km to 100 km. It contains the Paryaqaqa (P), Yauyos (Y) and Pichqa Waqra (PW) mountain ranges. It is located in the Junín Region and in the Lima Region.
Parinacota (volcano)
The Nazca Plate and Antarctic Plate subduct beneath the South America Plate in the Peru-Chile Trench at a pace of and , respectively, resulting in volcanic activity in the Andes. Present-day volcanism occurs within four discrete belts: The Northern Volcanic Zone (NVZ), the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) and the Austral Volcanic Zone (AVZ). These extend between 2°N-5°S, 16°S-28°S, 33°S-46°S and 49°S-55°S, respectively. Between them they contain about 60 active volcanoes and 118 volcanoes which appear to have been active during the Holocene, not including potentially active very large silicic volcanic systems or very small monogenetic ones. These belts of active volcanism occur where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South America Plate at a steep angle, while in the volcanically inactive gaps between them the subduction is much shallower; thus there is no asthenosphere between the slab of the subducting plate and the overriding plate in the gaps.
Volcán de Colima
In the late Pleistocene era, a huge landslide occurred at the mountain, with approximately 25 km³ (6 cubic miles) of debris travelling some 120 km, reaching the Pacific Ocean. An area of some 2,200 km² was covered in landslide deposits. The currently active cone is within a large caldera that was probably formed by a combination of landslides and large eruptions. The lava is andesite containing 56-61% SiO. About 300,000 people live within 40 km (25 miles) of the volcano, which makes it the most dangerous volcano in Mexico. In light of its history of large eruptions and situation in a densely populated area, it was designated a Decade Volcano, singling it out for study.
Purico complex
Purico is part of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), a belt of volcanoes that runs along the western margin of South America between 14° and 28° southern latitude. This belt is one of four separate volcanic belts that make up the Andean Volcanic Belt and which are separated from each other by gaps where no recent volcanism occurs. The CVZ segment includes 44 active systems, 18 minor volcanic centres and over 6 large ignimbrite or caldera systems. One of these volcanoes, Ojos del Salado, is the highest volcano in the world. The largest historical eruption in the CVZ occurred in 1600 at Huaynaputina in Peru.
Yucamane
Yucamane is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the three major volcanic belts in the Andes, which spans the countries of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. In Peru about four hundred heavily eroded volcanoes make up the volcanically active area along with the active volcanoes El Misti, Sabancaya and Ubinas; the volcanoes Andagua volcanic field, Casiri, Chachani, Coropuna, Firura, Huaynaputina, Tutupaca and Yucamane may have been active in recent history. The largest historical eruption in Peru occurred in 1600 at Huaynaputina and caused 1,500 fatalities and severe economic damage. Another major eruption occurred 2,000 years before present at El Misti volcano. Finally, the three volcanoes Ampato, Chachani and Coropuna have heights exceeding .
Cerro Volcánico
Cerro Volcánico (also known as Fonck) is a cinder cone in Argentina, located southeast of the massive stratovolcano of Tronador. The cone produced a single andesite lava flow, which has been bracketed in age between 70,000 and 14,000 years ago.
Chile
The Chilean relief consists of the central depression, which crosses the country longitudinally, flanked by two mountain ranges that make up about 80% of the territory: the Andes mountains to the east-natural border with Bolivia and Argentina in the region of Atacama and the Coastal Range west-minor height from the Andes. Chile's highest peak is the Nevado Ojos del Salado, at 6891.3 m, which is also the highest volcano in the world. The highest point of the Coastal Range is Vicuña Mackenna, at 3114 meters, located in the Sierra Vicuña Mackenna, the south of Antofagasta. Among the coastal mountains and the Pacific is a series of coastal plains, of variable length, which allow the settlement of coastal towns and big ports. Some areas of the plains territories encompass territory east of the Andes, and the Patagonian steppes and Magellan, or are high plateaus surrounded by high mountain ranges, such as the Altiplano or Puna de Atacama.
Ampato
Ampato is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, which in Peru manifests itself as several dozen Pleistocene volcanoes, some of which erupted in historical time including El Misti, Huaynaputina, Sabancaya and Ubinas. The largest historical eruption of the Andes took place at Huaynaputina. Other volcanoes in the Peruvian Central Volcanic Zone are Sara Sara, Solimana, Coropuna, Chachani, Ticsani, Tutupaca, Yucamane and Casiri.
Zona Austral
From the latitude of Michinmahuida volcano southwards a well-defined western longitudinal valley, occupied by the Carretera Austral, divides the Andes into two chains, the eastern being the main chain, to which belong mounts Ventisquero Sur, Barros Arana and Alto Nevado, while the western chain, broken into imposing blocks, contains several high volcanic peaks such as Corcovado, Yanteles and Melimoyu.
Aguas Calientes caldera
Aguas Calientes is a major Quaternary caldera in Salta Province, Argentina. It is in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, a zone of volcanism covering southern Peru, Bolivia, northwest Argentina and northern Chile. This zone contains stratovolcanoes and calderas.
Andean Volcanic Belt
During the Pliocene the SVZ south of 38°S consisted of a broad volcanic arc. The area with volcanic activity 1 to 2 million years ago between 39°S-42°S was up to 300 km wide (if back-arc volcanism is included). A reduction in the convergence rate of the Nazca and the South American Plate from 9 cm per year to 7.9 cm per year 2–3 million years ago contributed to a narrowing of the southern SVZ that occurred possibly 1.6 million years ago. The southern part of the SVZ retained vigorous activity only in the west, especially around the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone, while eastern volcanoes such as Tronador and Cerro Pantoja became extinct.
Cerro Panizos
Cerro Panizos is part of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of the Andes, a belt of recent volcanism that runs from southern Peru into Chile and Argentina. 50 volcanoes in the belt have been identified as active in recent times. A major ignimbrite province called the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex is associated with the area between 21° and 24° degrees southern latitude since 23 million years ago. Cerro Guacha, La Pacana and Pastos Grandes are calderas within this province which covers a surface of , with geothermal manifestations in El Tatio and Sol de Manana being the latest manifestations of volcanism in the area.
Vilama (caldera)
Vilama is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, which together with the Northern Volcanic Zone, Southern Volcanic Zone and Austral Volcanic Zone is one of the four volcanic belts along the Andes. The Central Volcanic Zone is home to more than a thousand volcanoes, of which 44 were active after glacial times. Many of these are part of the main volcanic arc, which consists of stratovolcanoes such as Coropuna, the Nevados de Payachata, Ojos del Salado and Ollagüe and frequently reach heights of above . The Central Volcanic Zone is also the site of a number of large calderas, such as Los Frailes, Kari-Kari, Pastos Grandes, Cerro Panizos, Cerro Guacha, Purico complex, Coranzulí, La Pacana, Aguas Calientes, Negra Muerta volcanic complex, Galán, Wheelwright caldera and Incapillo.
La Pacana
La Pacana is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of the four volcanic zones that make up the Andean Volcanic Belt and which are separated from each other by gaps without ongoing volcanic activity. A number of stratovolcanoes and ignimbrite-forming centres have erupted in the Central Volcanic Zone since the Miocene, about 50 of which are considered to be active. In addition, the Central Volcanic Zone features about 18 minor volcanic fields. The largest historical eruption of the Andes occurred in 1600 at Huaynaputina in Peru in the Central Volcanic Zone, and the most active volcano of the Central Volcanic Zone is Láscar in Chile.
Lastarria
Lastarria is part of the Andean Central Volcanic Zone, which extends over from Peru to Chile. Over 1,000 volcanic edifices have been identified in this zone, of which about 50 volcanoes are active or potentially active, with many exceeding in altitude. In addition, the zone features 18 monogenetic volcanoes and about 6 caldera/ignimbrite systems.
Sierra Nevada de Lagunas Bravas
Sierra Nevada, also known as Sierra Nevada de Lagunas Bravas, is a major ignimbrite-lava dome complex which lies in both Chile and Argentina in one of the most remote parts of the Central Andes. Activity in the complex started in Argentina and formed two stratovolcanoes. Later, 12 or more vents formed, some with craters up to wide. Lava flows up to long with flow ridges are also found. It covers a total area of 225 km². Radiometric dating has yielded ages of 1.7 ± 0.4 to 0.431 ± 0.012 million years ago. Together with Cerro el Condor and Peinado it forms the Culampaja line, a line of volcanoes that reaches Cerro Blanco. Strong seismic attenuation is observed beneath Sierra Nevada. Hydrothermally altered rocks in Sierra Nevada may be the source of sulfate and in the Juncalito and Negro rivers.
Coropuna
Volcanism in the Andes originates in the collision of the Pacific Ocean floor with the South American Plate. This collision generates tectonic forces which lift up blocks of the Central Andes and create fissures through which magma reaches the surface. Coropuna is part of the northern Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) and, along with AmpatoSabancayaHualca Hualca, Chachani, and El Misti, forms part of the main volcanic arc . Coropuna, Sara Sara, and Solimana are close to the northern border of the CVZ, where the Benioff zone becomes shallower. In this area, the Andes mountains are still growing, and erosion has cut deep valleys into them. The area also features numerous fault zones, best visible south and southwest of Coropuna where shifts of and more have occurred. Coropuna lies on a line of volcanoes that runs from Solimana to Sabancaya.
Tilocálar
Tilocalar are two volcanoes in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes. They are constructed on Pleistocene ignimbrites and are afar. Tilocálar Sur () is a high polygenetic volcano and has an explosion crater one kilometre to the south. Two other craters are also present along a graben. Four basaltic andesite-andesite lava flows emanate from it. Tilocálar Norte () is a high monogenetic system and generated northbound lava flows that run along the eastern wall of the . Based on the age of the underlying Tucucaro ignimbrite (3.2 mya) the volcano is less than 3.2 million years old. An andesitic dyke swarm is associated with this system.
Tocomar
Off the western coast of South America, the Nazca Plate and the Antarctic Plate subduct beneath the South America Plate, at a rate of and respectively. This process of subduction has generated the Andes as well as the Andean Volcanic Belt. This volcanic belt is subdivided into four segments, from north to south the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone.
Sabancaya
Sabancaya is an active stratovolcano in the Andes of southern Peru, about northwest of Arequipa. It is considered part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, one of the three distinct volcanic belts of the Andes. The Central Volcanic Zone includes a number of volcanoes, some of which like Huaynaputina have had large eruptions and others such as Sabancaya and Ubinas have been active in historical time. Sabancaya forms a volcanic complex together with Hualca Hualca to the north and Ampato to the south and has erupted andesite and dacite. It is covered by a small ice cap which leads to a risk of lahars during eruptions.
List of volcanoes in Bolivia
The country of Bolivia hosts numerous active and extinct volcanoes across its territory. The active volcanoes are in western Bolivia making up the Cordillera Occidental, the western limit of the Altiplano plateau. Many of the active volcanoes are international mountains shared with Chile. All Cenozoic volcanoes of Bolivia are part of the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of the Andean Volcanic Belt that results due to processes involved in the subduction of Nazca Plate under the South American Plate. The Central Volcanic Zone is a major upper Cenozoic volcanic province.
Apart from Andean volcanoes the geology of Bolivia host the remnants of ancient volcanoes around the Precambrian Guaporé Shield in the eastern part of the country.
Ed Darack
Wild Winds: Adventures in the Highest Andes, an adventure travel narrative, chronicles Darack's ascents of and travels throughout the highest peaks of the Andes of South America through narrative, photographs, and maps. Ascents include those of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America, Argentina, the Western Hemisphere, and the Southern Hemisphere (and one of the Seven Summits), Ojos del Salado, the world's highest volcano and highest mountain in Chile, Nevado Sajama, the highest mountain in Bolivia, and also Monte Pissis and Llullaillaco. Published by AlpenBooks on November 1, 2001, "Wild Winds" was cited by "The New York Times" on the subject of the "Death Zone."
Nevado Tres Cruces Central
Nevado Tres Cruces Central is the second summit of an extinct volcanic massif, located in the Andes mountain range in the Atacama region of northern (Chile).
Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault
The Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault is major geological fault that runs a length of roughly 1200 km in a NNE-SSW orientation and exhibits current seismicity. It is located in the Chilean Northern Patagonian Andes. It is a dextral intra-arc transform fault. Most large stratovolcanoes of the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes are aligned by the fault which allows for the movement of magma and hydrothermal fluids.
Licancabur
Licancabur is a -high symmetrical cone. The cone, rising above the surrounding terrain, has a base diameter of and a total volume of . The top of the mountain is a -wide crater, and its slopes have an approximately 30° gradient. The volcano has erupted blocky lava flows, with thicknesses ranging from ; younger lava flows are thinner. Young lava flows on the western sides of the volcano are long; older flows extend . Some old lava flows reach Laguna Verde, and -long pyroclastic flow deposits have been found. The volcano's eastern and western flanks look different, since it formed on a basement which dips towards the Salar de Atacama. West of Licancabur are deposits stemming from debris avalanche activity, including blocks wide. The border between Bolivia and Chile, defined by the Treaty of Peace and Friendship (1904), crosses the volcano.
An elliptical lake was identified in the Licancabur crater beneath the crater rim, with a length of and a depth of . Fed by snowfall, it is one of the highest lakes in the world. Based on its relative lack of salt deposits, in 1955 researchers postulated that the lake spilled through a notch in the crater's southwestern rim when the climate was wetter. Excess water now leaves through seepage, keeping salt levels low. There are other lakes (usually frozen) at similar altitudes in the Andes.
Andes
The Andes or Andean Mountains () are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. This range is about long, about wide (widest between 18° south and 20° south latitude), and of an average height of about . The Andes extend from north to south through seven South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
Nevado de Longaví
Nevado de Longaví lies in the Andean Mountain Range's Southern Volcanic Zone, which extends between 33 and 46 degrees southern latitude. It is one among 60 volcanoes in Chile and Argentina that lie within the Southern Volcanic Zone. Among the largest volcanic eruptions in this area were the 1932 Quizapu and the 1991 Cerro Hudson eruptions. Nevado de Longaví is usually put into the "Transitional Southern Volcanic Zone", one of the four segments which the Southern Volcanic Zone is subdivided into; they are characterized by different thicknesses of the crust that the volcanoes are constructed on and by differences in the volcanic rocks. Farther east lie the Tatara-San Pedro and Laguna del Maule volcanoes.
Nevado del Ruiz
Nevado del Ruiz lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region that encircles the Pacific Ocean and contains some of the world's most active volcanoes. It is the third most northerly of the volcanoes lying in the North Volcanic Zone of the Andean Volcanic Belt, which contains 75 of the 204 Holocene-age volcanoes in South America. The Andean Volcanic Belt is produced by the eastward subduction of the oceanic Nazca Plate beneath the South American continental plate. As is the case for many subduction-zone volcanoes, Nevado del Ruiz can generate explosive Plinian eruptions with associated pyroclastic flows that can melt snow and glaciers near the summit, producing large and sometimes devastating lahars (mud and debris flows).
Hualca Hualca
Hualca Hualca is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, a volcanic belt which occurs where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South America Plate. Volcanoes in Peru that are part of the Central Volcanic Zone include Ampato, Casiri, Chachani, Coropuna, El Misti, Huaynaputina, Pichu Pichu, Sabancaya, Sara Sara, Solimana, Ticsani, Tutupaca, Ubinas and Yucamane.
Lake Tauca
Lake Tauca existed on the Altiplano, a high plateau with an average altitude of , covering an area of or . The highland is in the Andes, the world's longest mountain chain which was formed during the Tertiary with a primary phase of uplift in the Miocene. Its central area, which contains the Altiplano, is formed by the eastern and western chains: the Eastern and Western Cordillera of Bolivia, which reach an altitude of . The Eastern Cordillera creates a rain shadow over the Altiplano. The climate of the Altiplano is usually dry when westerly winds prevail; during the austral summer, heating induces easterly winds which transport humidity from the Amazon. A north-south gradient exists, with mean temperatures and precipitation decreasing from and in the north, to and in the southern Lípez area. Although precipitation decreases from north to south, the evaporation rate throughout the Altiplano exceeds . Most precipitation is recorded between October and April. Occasionally during winter (but also in summer), frontal disturbances result in snowfall. Strong winds and high insolation are other aspects of the Altiplano climate. Much of the water balance in the present-day Altiplano-Atacama area is maintained by groundwater flow. The terrain of the Altiplano consists primarily of sediments deposited by lakes and rivers during the Miocene and Pleistocene. A Paleozoic basement underlies Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments. The Andean Central Volcanic Zone and the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex are in the Cordillera Occidental.
Wheelwright caldera
Wheelwright is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, which together with the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone is one among four separate volcanic zones in the Andes; these volcanic zones are separated by gaps without recent volcanic activity. Since 23 million years ago the Central Volcanic Zone has given rise to compound volcanoes, calderas and stratovolcanoes, which are formed mainly by andesitic or dacitic rocks. Ojos del Salado, a member of the Central Volcanic Zone, is the second tallest mountain in the Andes and the highest active volcano in the world. Further, the Maricunga volcanic belt in the same region is site of major precious metal deposits.
Mentolat
The Andes are a site of volcanic activity, which is usually subdivided into four separate volcanic zones: the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Central Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone. These volcanic zones are separated by gaps where no recent volcanic activity has occurred. These gaps are not static; the gap separating the Austral and the Southern Volcanic Zones has been moving northward for the past 15-20 million years. The Southern Volcanic Zone itself is subdivided into additional volcanic zones, the Northern, Transitional, Central and Southern Southern Volcanic Zone and contains over two calderas and over 60 volcanoes with Quaternary activity.
Falso Azufre
Falso Azufre is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes together with about 110 other Quaternary volcanoes, and lies in the southern sector of the volcanic zone; other volcanic zones in the Andes are the Northern Volcanic Zone, the Southern Volcanic Zone and the Austral Volcanic Zone. The history of volcanic activity is poorly known for most of these volcanoes owing to the lack of dating; only a few historical eruptions have been recorded, such as an eruption at Ojos del Salado in 1993.
Yucamane
The Andes are the longest mountain range on Earth, extending from the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in southernmost South America to Venezuela in the north. In southern Peru, the Andes consist of several mountain chains including the Western Cordillera and the Eastern Cordillera, with elevations of up to , which are separated from each other by the Altiplano.
Tacora
Tacora is a stratovolcano located in the Andes of the Arica y Parinacota Region of Chile. Bordering Peru, it is the northernmost volcano of Chile. It is part of the Central Volcanic Zone in Chile, one of the four volcanic belts of the Andes. The Central Volcanic Zone has several of the highest volcanoes in the world. Tacora itself is a stratovolcano with a caldera and a crater. The youngest radiometric age is 50,000 years ago and it is heavily eroded by glacial activity.
Villarrica National Park
Villarrica National Park is located in the Andes, in the La Araucanía and Los Ríos regions of Chile, near Pucón. The centerpiece of the park is a line of three volcanoes stretching transversely to the Andean range: Villarrica, Quetrupillán, and Lanín. Other mountains in the park include Quinquilil volcano (), also known as "Colmillo del Diablo", and Cerro Las Peinetas, which lies on the border between Argentina and Chile. It ranges in elevation from to at Lanín Volcano.