Lonquimay (volcano)

Lonquimay

Lonquimay's northwest face
Highest point
Elevation 2,865 m (9,400 ft)
Coordinates 38°22′36″S 71°35′00″W / 38.37667°S 71.58333°W / -38.37667; -71.58333
Geography
Location Chile
Parent range Andes
Geology
Mountain type Stratovolcano
Last eruption 1988 to 1990

Lonquimay Volcano is a stratovolcano of late-Pleistocene to dominantly Holocene age, with the shape of a truncated cone. The cone is largely andesitic, though basaltic and dacitic rocks are present.[1] It is located in the La Araucanía Region of Chile, immediately SE of Tolhuaca volcano. Sierra Nevada and Llaima are their neighbors to the south. The snow-capped volcano lies within the protected area Malalcahuello-Nalcas.

The volcano's last eruption began on December 25, 1988, earning it the nickname "Navidad".[2] The eruption lasted for 13 months before ending in 1990. The Volcanic Explositivy Index was 3, indicating tropospheric injections and catastrophic damage. The eruption was from a flank vent and involved mostly andesite lava, and had been preceded by increased seismicity for three weeks.[3] The volume of the lava flow decreased as time went on and the vent dimensions decreased, though by the end of the eruption the andesite had still built up to a length of 10.2 km.[3]

There was only a single fatality for the duration of the eruption, but it caused the evacuation of over 2000 people and caused extensive damage to farming and livestock in the surrounding region.[2][4]

See also

References

  1. "Lonquimay." Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution
  2. 1 2 "Lonquimay Volcano Eruptions". Volcano Discovery.
  3. 1 2 Sparks (1992). "Morphological, structural, and textural variations in the 1988-1990 andesite lava of Lonquimay volcano, Chile". Cambridge University Geological Magazine.
  4. Naranjo, Jose. "Lonquimay." Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History


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