Tupungatito facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tupungatito Volcano |
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Tupungatito is a pyroclastic cone and a series of volcanic craters on the front rim of the "Nevado Sin Nombre" caldera; the flat, circular area at the center of this image to the right of the Tupungato volcano.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,682 m (18,600 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Argentina-Chile |
| Parent range | Principal Cordillera, Andes |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Volcanic arc/belt | South Volcanic Zone |
| Last eruption | 1987 |
Volcán Tupungatito is a volcano in the Andes mountains. It is the most northern active volcano in the southern part of the Andes. This volcano is part of a group of volcanoes called the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ). This zone has over 70 volcanoes that have been active in the last 2.6 million years. On average, one eruption happens here every year.
Tupungatito is very close to the border between Argentina and Chile. It is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The volcano is made up of several volcanic craters and a pyroclastic cone. It sits next to a large, bowl-shaped area called a caldera, which is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide. This caldera is filled with ice. The glaciers on Tupungatito are very important. They provide water for the Rio Maipo river, which flows through Santiago.
Volcanoes form when one of Earth's large plates slides under another. This process is called subduction. At Tupungatito, the Nazca Plate is sliding under the South American Plate. Tupungatito started forming less than 100,000 years ago. It has erupted many times throughout history, most recently in 1987. These eruptions were usually small and explosive. Today, the volcano has a crater lake with acidic water. It also has many fumaroles, which are vents that release steam and gases. If the volcano erupts again, it could send volcanic ash into Argentina. It could also cause dangerous mudflows in Chile.
Contents
Name and Early History
The name Tupungatito was given to the volcano in 1897. It means "little Tupungato" in Spanish. This name refers to the larger Tupungato volcano nearby. The person who named it, Luis Risopatrón, also said that Tupungatito was an active volcano. For a while, the volcano was also called Volcan Bravard. This name honored a French paleontologist named Auguste Bravard.
People in the area wondered if there was an active volcano near Santiago a long time ago. But it wasn't until 1890 that Tupungatito was clearly identified. Even then, many people thought Tupungato was the only active volcano. The first time people climbed Tupungatito was probably in 1907. A group of climbers, including K. Griebel and J. Philippi, made the ascent.
Where Tupungatito Is and What It Looks Like
Tupungatito is located in the Chilean Andes mountains. It is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Santiago de Chile. The volcano is part of the San Jose de Maipo area. This area is in the Metropolitan Region, where about 40% of all Chileans live. The very tall Tupungato volcano, which is 6,550 meters (21,490 feet) high, is about 7 kilometers (4 miles) northeast of Tupungatito. Many people visit this area for tourism, mountaineering, and hiking. There are also mines and hydropower plants in the valleys nearby.
The volcano has a large, bowl-shaped caldera that is 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide. This caldera could have formed from a volcanic eruption or a huge landslide. There are also ten craters north of the caldera. Four of these craters overlap each other. One crater sits on top of a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) wide pyroclastic cone. Three crater lakes are found inside these craters. One of these lakes has bright turquoise water that is very acidic. The volcano itself is estimated to be about 30 cubic kilometers (7 cubic miles) in size. Its lava flows look fresh and have not been worn away by weather. In the past, lava flowed out of the caldera through an opening on its western side.
Glaciers and Water Sources
Above 5,400 meters (17,700 feet) high, Tupungatito is covered with ice. The ice on Tupungatito covers an area of about 7.3 square kilometers (2.8 square miles). The caldera holds the Tupungatito glacier. This glacier is about 1 cubic kilometer (0.24 cubic miles) in size. It is the most important glacier in the Metropolitan Region. This cold glacier does not have water pockets inside it. It can be as thick as 309 meters (1,014 feet).
The ice and snow on Tupungatito are a very important source of water for the rivers in the region. They also supply water to Santiago. Meltwater from the volcano flows west into the Colorado-Maipo river system. This system eventually flows through Santiago. Some rivers, like the Quebrada Seca, start near the volcano and flow into the Colorado river. Other glaciers on Tupungatito drain east into the Rio Tupungato river. This river flows into the Rio Mendoza river. The Rio Mendoza is a key water source for people in Mendoza, Argentina, and their agricultural farms. Sometimes, pollution in the Maipo river system might come from springs near Tupungatito and the San Jose volcano.
How the Volcano Formed
Regional Geology
Off the coast of South America, the Nazca Plate is sliding under the South America Plate. This movement causes volcanoes to form in the Andes. There are four main groups of volcanoes in the Andes. Tupungatito is part of the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ).
The SVZ is a long chain of volcanoes, about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) long. It has over 70 stratovolcanoes, which are cone-shaped volcanoes. It also has other volcanic features like calderas and scoria cones. About 30 to 40 of these volcanoes have been active since the last ice age. About 18 to 20 have erupted in recorded history. The SVZ is the most active volcanic area in Chile, with about one eruption per year. Tupungatito is the most northern active volcano in the SVZ. Tupungato-Tupungatito, San Jose-Marmolejo, and Maipo are the tallest volcanoes in this zone.
Local Geology
Tupungatito sits on Earth's crust, which is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) thick here. The type of rock that comes out of the volcano is affected by this thick crust and how the plates are moving. The rocks deep under Tupungatito include limestone from the Cretaceous period (about 145 to 66 million years ago). There are also older rocks like conglomerates and sandstones. These rocks have been pushed and folded by Earth's forces. Many faults and cracks in the ground affect how the volcano erupts.
Tupungatito is part of a group of volcanoes. This group includes Tupungato and another peak called Nevado Sin Nombre. Tupungato and Nevado Sin Nombre formed a long time ago and are not active now. The caldera at Tupungatito was largely formed from rocks that came from Nevado Sin Nombre. Another volcano, Nevado de los Piuquenes, also overlaps with Nevado Sin Nombre. Below 4,700 meters (15,400 feet) high, Tupungatito sits on top of an older, worn-down volcano.
What the Rocks Are Made Of
The rocks that Tupungatito has erupted range from basaltic andesite to dacite. These are types of volcanic rock. The rocks have not changed much in their makeup over time. They contain small crystals called phenocrysts. These crystals include clinopyroxene and plagioclase. Sometimes, they also have olivine and orthopyroxene. The melted rock, or magma, that forms Tupungatito's rocks comes from deep within the Earth. It mixes with water and sediments as it rises. This process, along with cooling and storing magma in magma chambers, gives the rocks their special makeup.
Climate Around the Volcano
The average temperature on Tupungatito is about -15.5 degrees Celsius (4 degrees Fahrenheit). About 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) of snow falls there each year. In winter, the area above 2,500 to 2,700 meters (8,200 to 8,900 feet) is covered with up to 4 meters (13 feet) of snow. Most of the rain and snow falls between May and September. This is when weather systems from the Pacific Ocean reach the area.
The glaciers on Tupungatito have grown and shrunk over the years. As of 2016, the ice cover on Tupungatito and nearby volcanoes was about 112.84 square kilometers (43.57 square miles). This is less than the 119.89 square kilometers (46.29 square miles) it was in 1986. Volcanic eruptions have not changed the size of the ice cover very much.
How Tupungatito Has Erupted
Tupungatito is about 55,000 to 80,000 years old. When it first started erupting, it mostly produced lava flows. These flows could be as long as 18 kilometers (11 miles). It also created debris flows, lahars (mudflows), and pyroclastic flows (hot gas and ash). These flows went into the Rio Colorado valley. About 30,000 years ago, the volcano started producing shorter lava flows. Many debris avalanches also happened on Tupungatito. These left deposits in the valleys to the west.
More recently, during the Holocene period (the last 11,700 years), Tupungatito started having more explosive eruptions. These were Vulcanian and phreatomagmatic eruptions. They spread volcanic ash and rock around the volcano. Shorter lava flows, about 7 kilometers (4 miles) long on average, were also produced. These flows show features like levees and lobes. The ice cover on the volcano has shrunk over time. This might be why the eruption style changed.
Recent Eruptions
Records of Tupungatito's activity go back to 1646. But its eruption history is not well known because it's hard to reach. Sometimes, eruptions from Tupungatito were mistakenly thought to be from Tupungato. Tupungatito is one of the most active volcanoes in the Southern Volcanic Zone. It has erupted over 19 times between 1829 and 1987. These eruptions happened in the craters north of the caldera. The eruptions were not very strong, usually a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2 or less. Many eruptions seem to be connected to earthquakes in Central Chile.
In 1835, the famous scientist Charles Darwin wrote in his diary about a local guide. The guide told him he saw smoke coming from near Tupungato. This was almost certainly a reference to Tupungatito. In 1962, the volcano was also reported to be smoking.
Eruptions at Tupungatito often dropped volcanic ash in Mendoza, Argentina. From 1958 to 1961, the volcano produced a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) long lava flow in Chile. It also caused ash to fall in San Martin, Argentina, which is 130 kilometers (80 miles) away. The eruptions in 1961 and 1964 each formed a new crater. The 1964 crater was just south of the 1961 one. A third crater was the site of the last three eruptions in 1980, 1986, and 1987. The 1986 eruption left a thin layer of ash on the glaciers. The very last activity was in 1987.
What's Happening Now and Future Risks
The volcano is currently active with fumaroles in four craters. Fumaroles are vents that release steam and gases. These fumaroles mainly release steam at temperatures of 81 to 84 degrees Celsius (178 to 183 degrees Fahrenheit). Gas bubbles have also been seen in the crater lakes. Scientists can see the crater lakes and fumaroles in satellite images. They appear as warmer spots. The gases come from the magma deep inside the volcano. As they rise, they mix with water underground. There are also small earthquakes around the volcano.
Since 2012, the Southern Volcanological Observatory of the Andes has been watching Tupungatito. Strong eruptions could melt the ice on the volcano. This could happen if hot rocks and pyroclastic flows are released. This melting could cause medium or large lahars (mudflows) in nearby valleys. If tall eruption columns form, volcanic ash would most likely fall in Argentina. Future eruptions will probably be small or medium-sized Strombolian eruptions.
The closest towns in Chile are El Alfalfal, El Manzano, and Los Maitenes. In Argentina, they are La Consulta, San Carlos, Tunuyan, and Tupungato. For Argentina, Tupungatito is the 4th most dangerous volcano. For Chile, it is the 22nd most dangerous. A study in 2020 said it was the 4th most dangerous volcano on Earth. This is because it is close to towns, has a lot of ice, and erupts often. Eruptions could also be dangerous for tourists.
See also
In Spanish: Volcán Tupungatito para niños
- List of volcanoes in Argentina
- List of volcanoes in Chile
