Arintica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arintica |
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Arintica (left) and Pukintika (right) as seen from Polloquere hot springs area.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,597 m (18,363 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Chile |
| Parent range | Andes |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | Unknown |
Arintica is a stratovolcano located in Arica y Parinacota Region of Chile, near the border with Bolivia. It lies north of the Salar de Surire. The volcano has a main summit in the north, a slightly shorter southern summit and a subsidiary peak in the west. A glacier valley lies between the summits. The height of the snowline is 5,590 metres (18,340 ft). Stage II moraines found on Arintica have altitudes ranging from 4,350 metres (14,270 ft) on the southern flank to 4,550 metres (14,930 ft) on the eastern flank. On the western flank they reach altitudes of 4,400 metres (14,400 ft). In total, five glaciers surrounded Arintica and drained into the Salar de Surire. Presently, rock glaciers are active on the mountain.
Potassium-argon dating has yielded an age of 637000±19000 years on rocks from Arintica. The volcano was constructed in two phases and postglacial lava flows have been found by Landsat imagery, but they are unsampled. A previously identified southeastern lava flow has been later identified as a debris avalanche, and other lava flows in the crater are actually rock glaciers. A dacitic lava dome is found southwest of the volcano and is named Calajata. In a 2011 hazard map Arintica was considered a potentially dangerous volcano of Chile. Whether the volcano was active in the Holocene is contentious and there is no indication of historical eruptions. Renewed activity would probably be of small magnitude and only have local impacts. A belt of Polylepis woods surrounds the volcano.
See also
In Spanish: Volcán Arintica para niños
