El Rojo Norte is a cinder cone in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, constructed on top of volcano debris in the Lauca basin. The cone is high and wide at its foot. Its profile has been reduced by erosion; the cone sits on an

andesitic Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomin ...

mound. A lava flow containing

mafic A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks incl ...

andesite is associated with the cone. Phreatomagmatic deposits are also found. The cone is formed by reddish

scoria Scoria is a pyroclastic, highly vesicular, dark-colored volcanic rock that was ejected from a volcano as a molten blob and cooled in the air to form discrete grains or clasts.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackson, eds. (2005) '' ...

. Its rocks are

basaltic andesite Basaltic andesite is a volcanic rock that is intermediate in composition between basalt and andesite. It is composed predominantly of augite and plagioclase. Basaltic andesite can be found in volcanoes around the world, including in Central Amer ...

. It was erupted 3.1 ± 0.2 million years ago on the basis of potassium-argon dating. Other dates are 3.05 ± 0.22, 3.35 ± 0.16 and 2.34 ± 0.16 mya. Which age is correct is unclear, but the cone is partly buried by the 2.72 mya old Lauca-Pérez

ignimbrite Ignimbrite is a type of volcanic rock, consisting of hardened tuff. Ignimbrites form from the deposits of pyroclastic flows, which are a hot suspension of particles and gases flowing rapidly from a volcano, driven by being denser than the surro ...

indicating that it's older than this ignimbrite.

References

Pliocene volcanism Monogenetic volcanoes Volcanoes of Arica y Parinacota Region Cinder cones of Chile {{Volcanology-stub