Cerro El Cóndor

About

Cerro El Cóndor is a stratovolcano in Argentina. Cerro El Cóndor is a remote peak in the Argentine Puna de Atacama. As such it was probably the last major 6000m+ peak in the Andes to be climbed, with the summit reaching a height of 6,400 metres (21, 000 ft). The volcano has the form of a massif (which covers a surface of 281 square kilometres (108 sq mi)) constructed by two separate volcanoes; the older edifice forms parts of the northern and eastern flanks which are cut by scarps interpreted as caldera remnants. The summit region is formed by the newer edifice, and features a series of craters with diameters of 100–350 metres (330–1, 150 ft) and a cover of pyroclastic material and scoria. Also part of the newer phase are extensive lava flows which form the western and parts of the eastern and southern slopes and reach distances of 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the summit. Surrounding volcanoes include Condorito (which is considered to be part of the old El Cóndor volcano), Falso Azufre and Laguna Escondida which have constrained the extent of El Cóndor's lava flows. The volcano rises within the Laguna Amarga caldera, and an older mafic monogenetic volcano lies north of El Cóndor. Radiometric dating has yielded ages of 2.89 - 2.67 million years ago to 0.13 - 0.02 million years ago, with the volcano developing in two phases. The older group of ages has been obtained on the Condorito

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