Incapillo

Incapillo
A dark lake in a fairly deep crater; the terrain is in part covered by snow, in part rocky, with no vegetation
View inside the caldera
Highest point
Elevation5,750 or 5,386 m (18,865 or 17,671 ft)[1]
Coordinates27°53′24″S 68°49′12″W / 27.89000°S 68.82000°W / -27.89000; -68.82000[2]
Geography
Incapillo is located in west-central Argentina, which lies on the southeastern coast of South America.
Incapillo is located in west-central Argentina, which lies on the southeastern coast of South America.
Incapillo
The South American country of Argentina
LocationCentral Argentina
Parent rangeAndes
Geology
Rock agePleistocene
Mountain typeCaldera
Volcanic beltAndean Volcanic Belt
Last eruption<0.52 ± 0.03–0.51 ± 0.04 mya

Incapillo is a Pleistocene-age caldera (a depression formed by the collapse of a volcano) in the La Rioja Province of Argentina. It is the southernmost volcanic centre in the Andean Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) that erupted during the Pleistocene. Incapillo is one of several ignimbrite[a] or caldera systems that, along with 44 active stratovolcanoes, comprise the CVZ.

Subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate is responsible for most of the volcanism in the CVZ. After activity in the volcanic arc of the western Maricunga Belt ceased six million years ago, volcanism commenced in the Incapillo region, forming the high volcanic edifices Monte Pissis, Cerro Bonete Chico and Sierra de Veladero. Later, a number of lava domes were emplaced between these volcanoes.

Incapillo is the source of the Incapillo ignimbrite, a medium-sized deposit comparable to the Katmai ignimbrite. The Incapillo ignimbrite was erupted 0.52 ± 0.03 and 0.51 ± 0.04 million years ago and has a volume of about 20.4 cubic kilometres (4.9 cu mi). A caldera with dimensions of 5 by 6 kilometres (3.1 mi × 3.7 mi) formed during the eruption. Later volcanism generated more lava domes within the caldera and a debris flow in the Sierra de Veladero. The lake within the caldera may overlie an area of ongoing hydrothermal activity.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference GVP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference GuzmanGrosse2014176 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ignimbrite was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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