| Taapaca, Tara Paka | |
|---|---|
 Nevados de Putre, Taapaca volcano (right) | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,860 m (19,230 ft)[1][2] |
| Coordinates | 18°06′S 69°30′W / 18.1°S 69.5°W[2] |
| Geography | |
  Taapaca, Tara Paka | |
| Parent range | Andes |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Complex volcano |
| Last eruption | 320 BCE ± 50 years[3] |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Inca, pre-Columbian |
Taapaca is a Holocene volcanic complex in northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. Located in the Chilean Andes, it is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andean Volcanic Belt, one of four distinct volcanic chains in South America. The town of Putre lies at the southwestern foot of the volcano.
Like other volcanoes of the Central Volcanic Zone, Taapaca formed from the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate. It lies on the western margin of the Altiplano high plateau, on top of older volcanic and sedimentary units. Taapaca has mainly erupted dacite, in the form of numerous lava domes, although an andesitic stratovolcano is also present.
Volcanic activity at Taapaca occurred in several stages starting during the Plio-Pleistocene. The emplacement of lava domes was often followed by their collapse and the formation of block-and-ash avalanches, and parts of the volcano underwent sector collapses (large landslides). It was at first assumed that activity ended during the Pleistocene, but late eruptions occurred until 2,300 years ago; the latest is dated to 320 BCE. The Chilean Geological Service monitors the volcano as it is a hazard to Putre, but eruptions could also impact local roads and areas as far east as Bolivia.