Apacheta-Aguilucho volcanic complex

About

Apacheta-Aguilucho volcanic complex (also known as Cerro Pabellón) is a volcanic complex in Chile. It consists of two volcanoes Cerro Apacheta and Cerro Aguilucho, which are constructed mainly by lava flows and surrounded by outcrops of lava. A sector collapse and its landslide deposit are located on Apacheta's eastern flank. Two lava domes are associated with the volcanic complex, Chac-Inca and Pabellón. The volcanic complex was active from the Miocene to the Pleistocene, but ongoing fumarolic activity has been observed and a geothermal system is present. A geothermal power plant was being built in 2015 and became active in late 2017, with another unit coming into service in 2022. It is the first geothermal power plant in Chile. The Apacheta-Aguilucho volcanic complex lies in northern Chile, close to the border with Bolivia. The city of Calama lies 105 kilometres (65 mi)-120 kilometres (75 mi) southwest of Apacheta-Aguilucho and El Tatio is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) south-southwest, but with the exception of geothermal power and mining-associated infrastructure the area is remote and uninhabited. Presently, the region has an arid climate. Vegetation, if present, consists mainly of grasses and shrubs. The volcanic complex 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 that produced over 15,000 cubic kilometres (3, 600 cu mi) of rock; after that it produced lava flows and lava domes like Cerro Chao and geothermal fields such as El Tatio and Sol de Mañana, accompanied by a decreased production of volcanic material. The Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex is underpinned by a magmatic body that appears to be a batholith, the Altiplano-Puna Magmatic Body. Volcanic activity is the consequence of the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate. Aside from volcanic activity, crustal shortening has resulted in a thickened crust since about 35 million years ago.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.