Cerro de las Cuevas

21°35′S 68°29′W / 21.583°S 68.483°W / -21.583; -68.483[1] Cerro de las Cuevas is a 5,294 metres (17,369 ft) high volcano in the Andes.[1]

The volcano is formed by thick lava flows that surround a lava dome. A spatter cone is also found on the northeastern flank of the volcano.[1]

The volcano is made of andesite. Lava flows contain clinopyroxene, olivine and quartz, the latter in the form of xenocrysts; rocks on the spatter cone are aphyric.[1]

A line of volcanoes extends from Cerro Cebollar to Cerro Palpana in south–north direction, of which Cerro de las Cuevas is the youngest volcano. Potassium-argon dating of the spatter cone on the northeastern flank of the volcano has yielded ages of 3.15±0.15 and 3.36±0.13 million before present.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Wigger1994 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference WornerHammerschmidt2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).