Nevado El Fraile facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nevado El Fraile |
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Incahuasi at left and El Fraile is at center-right
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,061 m (19,885 ft) |
| Prominence | 811 m (2,661 ft) |
| Parent peak | Ojos del Salado |
| Geography | |
 Nevado El Fraile
Location in Chile
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| Parent range | Andes |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 02/01/1956 - Anders Bolinder (Sweden) |
| Easiest route | Scramble |
Nevado El Fraile is a tall mountain in the Andes mountain range. It is also known as Incahuasi Chico, which means "Little Incahuasi". This mountain is a volcano, even though it might not look like one.
Nevado El Fraile stands at 6,061 metres (19,885 ft) high. It is located right on the border between two countries: Chile and Argentina. Specifically, it's between the Catamarca Province in Argentina and the Copiapó Province in Chile.
This mountain is part of a group of volcanoes called the Central Volcanic Zone. This area includes many other volcanic peaks, like Ojos del Salado. Ojos del Salado is famous for being the highest volcano in the world! The mountain closest to El Fraile, and even taller, is Incahuasi. It is about 7.9 kilometres (4.9 mi) to the east.
Contents
Climbing Nevado El Fraile
First Climbers
The first person known to climb Nevado El Fraile was Anders Bolinder. He was from Sweden. He reached the top on January 2, 1956. Climbing this mountain is considered a "scramble," which means it's a climb that doesn't usually need special ropes or gear.
How Tall is Nevado El Fraile?
Measuring the Height
Scientists use different ways to measure how tall mountains are. For Nevado El Fraile, various digital maps and models have given slightly different heights. For example, the SRTM model measured it at 6048 meters. The ASTER and ALOS models both showed 6024 meters. A newer model, TanDEM-X, measured it at 6091 meters.
Mountain Connections
Nevado El Fraile is connected to a larger mountain system. Its "parent peak" is Ojos del Salado. This means Ojos del Salado is the closest taller mountain from which you would have to go down the least to reach El Fraile. The lowest point between El Fraile and Ojos del Salado is 5260 meters high. This difference in height helps us understand how important El Fraile is as a separate peak.
