Cerro El Cóndor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cerro El Cóndor |
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Cerro El Cóndor from the east
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,414 m (21,043 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,660 m (5,450 ft) |
| Listing | Ultra |
| Geography | |
 Cerro El Cóndor
Location in Argentina
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| Location | Argentina |
| Parent range | Andes |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Holocene |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Alexander von Götz, Steffen Salzmann, et al., 2003 |
Cerro El Cóndor is a huge stratovolcano located in Argentina. It is one of the highest mountains in the Andes mountain range. This volcano is quite remote, found in a part of Argentina called the Puna de Atacama.
Contents
What is Cerro El Cóndor?
Cerro El Cóndor is a type of volcano called a stratovolcano. This means it has a cone shape built up over time. It is made from many layers of hardened lava, ash, and volcanic rocks. The mountain reaches a height of about 6,400 metres (21,000 ft). It was likely one of the last major peaks over 6000 meters in the Andes to be climbed.
How was it formed?
Cerro El Cóndor is actually a large mountain area, covering about 281 square kilometres (108 sq mi). It was formed by two separate volcanoes. The older part makes up the northern and eastern sides. These parts have steep cliffs, which are thought to be what's left of old calderas.
The top of the mountain is from the newer volcano. It has several craters, which are like big bowls, ranging from 100–350 metres (330–1,150 ft) wide. These craters are covered in pyroclastic material and scoria, which are types of volcanic rock fragments. The newer volcano also created long lava flows. These flows stretch up to 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the top, covering the western and parts of the eastern and southern slopes.
Nearby Volcanoes
Other volcanoes are found around Cerro El Cóndor. These include Condorito, which is part of the older El Cóndor volcano. There are also Falso Azufre and Laguna Escondida. These nearby volcanoes helped shape where El Cóndor's lava flows could go. Cerro El Cóndor itself sits inside an older, larger Laguna Amarga caldera.
How old is it?
Scientists have studied the rocks from Cerro El Cóndor to find out its age. They found that the volcano developed in two main stages. The older parts, like Condorito, are between 2.89 and 2.67 million years old. The newer parts and lava flows are much younger, from about 130,000 years ago to as recent as 20,000 years ago. It's even possible that some eruptions happened in the last 10,000 years.
Is it still active?
Today, Cerro El Cóndor is considered a dormant volcano. This means it is not erupting right now, but it could erupt again in the future. Because the volcano is in a very remote area, it doesn't pose much danger to people on the ground. However, if it were to erupt with pyroclastic material, it could affect air traffic flying over the region.
Part of the Andes Volcanic Zone
Cerro El Cóndor is part of a group of volcanoes called the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes. This zone has about 110 volcanoes that have been active in the last 2.6 million years. The Andes has other volcanic zones too, like the Northern, Southern, and Austral Volcanic Zones. Most of these volcanoes haven't had many recorded eruptions. One famous eruption was at Ojos del Salado in 1993.
What kind of rocks did it erupt?
Over its history, Cerro El Cóndor has erupted different types of molten rock. In its earlier stages, it erupted andesitic and dacitic rocks. Later on, it erupted trachyandesite and trachydacite. These rocks are rich in a mineral called potassium.
See also
In Spanish: Cerro El Cóndor para niños
- List of volcanoes in Argentina
- List of mountains in Argentina
- List of mountains in the Andes
- List of Ultras of South America
