Tutupaca

Tutupaca

Tutupaca is a volcano in the region of Tacna in Peru. It is part of the Peruvian segment of the Central Volcanic Zone. It consists of three overlapping volcanoes formed by lava flows and lava domes. The highest of these is usually reported to be 5,815 metres tall.

About Tutupaca in brief

Summary TutupacaTutupaca is a volcano in the region of Tacna in Peru. It is part of the Peruvian segment of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of several volcanic belts in the Andes. It consists of three overlapping volcanoes formed by lava flows and lava domes made out of andesite and dacite, which grew on top of older volcanic rocks. The highest of these is usually reported to be 5,815 metres tall and was glaciated in the past. One of these volcanoes collapsed in historical time, probably in 1802, generating a large debris avalanche with a volume likely exceeding 0. 6–0. 8 cubic kilometres and a pyroclastic flow. The volcano became active about 700,000 years ago, and activity continued into the Holocene, but whether there were historical eruptions was initially unclear. The people in Candarave considered Tutupaca to be a \”bad\” mountain, while Yucamane was the \”good\” one. The Peruvian geographer Mateo Paz Soldán dedicated an ode to Tut upaca. The government plans to monitor the volcano for future activity. It features geothermal manifestations with fumaroles and hot springs. During the wet season, the mountain is snow-covered, and meltwater from Tut Upaca and other regional mountains is an important source of water for the rivers in the area.

The base that Tutupacas rises from lies at elevations ranging from 4,400 metres to 4,600 metres and the volcano covers a surface area of about 150–170 square kilometres. The older complex is formed mainly by. lava flows, which during the Pleistocene were eroded by glaciers forming up to 100 metres thick moraines and U-shaped glacial valleys. The western one consists of lava. valleys and Plinian eruption deposits of Pleistsocene age, and reaches a height of 5,801 metres. The Global Volcanism Program gives heights of 5.753 metres for the eastern and 5,753 metres for the western summit. Postglacial lava flows emanating from a vent located between the two peaks have been identified. A sulfur mine on its southeastern flank was formed by a major collapse of the volcano, which is the origin of a 6–8kilometre long debris deposit from the older complex, as well as highly altered lavas from the younger complex. A 1 kilometre wide amphitheater in eastern Tutupca, formed by an open to the northeast, was the source of a major open to northeast landslide.