Llullaillaco
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| Llullaillaco | |
|---|---|
 Llullaillaco in 2002 |
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| Elevation | 6,739 metres (22,109 feet) |
| Location | Argentina-Chile |
| Range | Andes, Puna de Atacama |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Stratovolcano |
| Age of rock | Pleistocene |
| Last eruption | 1877 |
| First ascent | December 1, 1952, by Bión González and Juan Harseim |
Llullaillaco is a stratovolcano at the border of Argentina (province of Salta) and Chile. It lies in the Puna de Atacama, a region of very high volcanic peaks on a high plateau within the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places in the world. Llullaillaco is the second highest active volcano in the world, surpassed only by Ojos del Salado. It is the fifth highest volcano in the world, and it is also the seventh highest mountain of the Western Hemisphere.[1]
Llullaillaco follows the typical Puna de Atacama volcano pattern: it is surrounded by large debris fields, and is perpetually capped by snow and small glaciers despite the extreme dry conditions of the region.
The peak's name comes from Aymara "murky water": llulla= dirty and yacu= water. Other sources propose it to have originated from Quechua Lullac= lie, Yacu= water: "lying water".
It has been confirmed that Incas climbed Llullaillaco in the pre-Colombian period. Artifacts on the summit constitute the highest evidence of human presence worldwide before the late nineteenth century. Also, the huáqueros may have also reached its summit and those of other mountains in the region during their searches.
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[edit] Climbing routes
There are several climbing routes which do not require specialized climbing techniques, although the altitude imposes great difficulty and is by itself a very dangerous factor. Crampons and ice axe are needed as most paths cross large hard snow and ice fields.
However, the area is known to be covered by antipersonnel mines installed during the Argentina-Chile conflict period of 1978-1982, thus rendering it extremely dangerous. Experienced local guidance and absolute caution is mandatory.
[edit] History
In 1999 on Llullaillaco's summit, an Argentinian-Peruvian expedition directed by American archaeologist Dr. Johan Reinhard found the perfectly preserved bodies of three Inca children, sacrificed approximately 500 years ago. This is the highest Inca burial so far discovered in Tawantinsuyu and the world's highest archaeological site.
[edit] Geology
Two major evolutionary stages can be highlighted in the history of the volcano: Llullaillaco I, the ancestral primary volcano, dates back to the Pleistocene. Two very eroded cones with associated lava flows, up to 20 km in length distributed mainly to the West, are the main evidence of its existence.
Built upon it there is a well preserved secondary post-glacial edifice called Llullaillaco II which has been active in historic times, whose construction yielded the grown up of several nearby lava domes. Many Holocene lava flows are associated with this latter phase; the two most notable are directed North and South of the volcano. These youthful-looking dacitic flows have been dated to be of late Pleistocene age. Moreover hot avalanche deposits, extending up to 3 km, are associated with one of the southern lava flows. There are still other very conspicuous flows remaining: one of the most striking, apparently caused by partial collapse of Lullaillaco I about 150,000 years ago, extends eastward into Argentina, diverging around Cerro Rosado stratovolcano 17 km to the East and terminating in the Salar del Llullaillaco. This deposit has not yet been thoroughly studied.
There are reports of eruptions in 1854, 1868 and 1877, possibly causing the youngest lava flows in the area, which are easily recognizable because of their very dark appearance.
[edit] Sources
- Siebert L, Simkin T (2002-). Volcanoes of the World: an Illustrated Catalog of Holocene Volcanoes and their Eruptions. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-3, (http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/).
Reinhard, Johan The Ice Maiden: Inca Mummies, Mountain Gods, and Sacred Sites in the Andes. 2005, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.
Reinhard, Johan y Constanza Ceruti. Investigaciones arqueológicas en el Volcán Llullaillaco: Complejo ceremonial incaico de alta montaña. Salta: EUCASA, 2000.
[edit] External links
- Brief geology and geochemistry descriptions. Includes a satellite photograph
- Expedition to the mountain. Several photographs
- Museum of High Mountain Archaeology (Spanish)
- Catholic University´s Institute of High Altitude Archaeology (Spanish)
- Cordillera de los Andes (Spanish)
- Fantasías arqueológicas sobre el volcán Llullaillaco (Spanish)
