The Huanquihue Group () is a group of young

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

es in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

near the border with

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, south of

Lanín Lanín is an ice-clad, cone-shaped stratovolcano on the border of Argentina and Chile. It forms part of two national parks: Lanín in Argentina and Villarrica in Chile. It is a symbol of the Argentine province of Neuquén, being part of its flag ...

volcano. The Huanquihue group is located south of Epulafquén Lake, north of Lolog Lake and west of

Reigolil-Pirihueico Fault The Reigolil-Pirihueico Fault (Spanish: ''Falla Reigolil-Pirihueico'') is a second-order geological fault located in the Chilean and Argentine Andes. As the name implies, it runs from Pirihueico Lake to Reigolil Valley. Reigolil-Pirihueico Fault ru ...

in Chile. Volcanism is associated with the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault. Huanquihue volcano itself is eroded, but El Escorial cinder cone has been active in the Holocene. One of its tephras overlies an older formation that was erupted 1400 BP. Lavas from this cone form a peninsula in Lake Epulafquen and modified the local hydrography. Another cinder cone La Angostura formed a peninsula separating the lakes Epulafquen and Huechulafquen. This cone has three craters. A tephra layer of black trachyandesite has been linked to Huanquihue and is dated 4028-4212 BP. Varve count dating has indicated that tephras in

Lake Villarrica Lake Villarrica, also known as Mallalafquén (its pre-Hispanic name is Mapudungun), is located about 700 kilometers south of Santiago in Chile's Lake District in the southeast area of the Province of Cautín. On its east shore lies the city of ...

and Lake Calafquen erupted presumably in 1591 are compositionally similar to Huanquihue scorias. A VEI-3 eruption of

basaltic Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...

trachyandesite Trachyandesite is an extrusive igneous Rock (geology), rock with a composition between trachyte and andesite. It has little or no free quartz, but is dominated by Sodium, sodic plagioclase and alkali feldspar. It is formed from the cooling of ...

has been dated at that year. Oral tradition reports the occurrence of an eruption at the end of the 17th century.

References

* * (in Spanish; also includes volcanoes of Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru) Mountains of Argentina Stratovolcanoes of Argentina Stratovolcanoes of Chile Volcanoes of Neuquén Province Pleistocene stratovolcanoes Holocene stratovolcanoes {{LosRíos-geo-stub

See also

References