Palpana (from , ram) is a

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It has a summit elevation of . It is part of the dividing range between Upper

Loa River The Loa River (Spanish: Río Loa) is a U-shaped river in Chile's northern Antofagasta Region. At long, it is the country's longest river and the main watercourse in the Atacama Desert. Course The Loa's sources are located on Andean mountain sl ...

basin and

Salar de Ascotán Salar de Ascotán, also known as Salar de Cebollar, is a Salt pan (geology), salt flat in northern Chile. Its drainage basin is and is shared with Bolivia. The basin is bordered on the north by the Salar de Carcote basin, on the east by small end ...

basin. Together with

Inacaliri Inacaliri is a mountain in the Andes Mountains, situated on the border of Bolivia and Chile in the Potosí Department and in the Antofagasta Region.Azufre, it forms a long volcanic chain constructed along the Inacaliri lineament. The volcano rises above an

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 surrou ...

plain that in the area reaches an altitude of and forms a chain of volcanoes with

Inacaliri Inacaliri is a mountain in the Andes Mountains, situated on the border of Bolivia and Chile in the Potosí Department and in the Antofagasta Region.lava dome In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions on ...

s. A lava dome cluster is recognizable in the central sector of the volcano, forming a flat area with a surface of . The volcano contains

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 ...

ic rocks with an extrusion formed from more silicic rock. Layers of

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 include ...

andesite 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 predomi ...

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) ''G ...

and some

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

extend outwards away from the central sector. The volcano rises above its terrain and its average summit slope is 26°. The western flank underwent a collapse, leaving a wide and long scar and a deposit at the volcano's foot.

Olivine The mineral olivine () is a magnesium iron silicate with the chemical formula . It is a type of nesosilicate or orthosilicate. The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle, it is a common mineral in Earth's subsurface, but weathers quickl ...

and

plagioclase Plagioclase is a series of tectosilicate (framework silicate) minerals within the feldspar group. Rather than referring to a particular mineral with a specific chemical composition, plagioclase is a continuous solid solution series, more prope ...

phenocryst 300px, feldspathic phenocrysts. This granite, from the Switzerland">Swiss side of the Mont Blanc massif, has large white plagioclase phenocrysts, triclinic minerals that give trapezoid shapes when cut through). 1 euro coins, 1 euro coin (diameter ...

s are found in the andesites, the overall SiO₂ content is 57.6-58.9% in samples from the southern ridge. The volcano probably formed in a short timespan, given the mountainous composition and form. Palpana from the east

The volcano is no more than 1-2 mya old, but there is no evidence of postglacial material and erosion has carved radial ridges into the volcano. Precise dating methods performed on the southeastern flank have found ages of 3.65±0.15 mya and 3.81±0.30 for lavas and scoria. The

snowline The climatic snow line is the boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface. The actual snow line may adjust seasonally, and be either significantly higher in elevation, or lower. The permanent snow line is the level above which snow wil ...

altitude in the area is Four

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

stages are found on the mountain, with the lowest moraines on the southern flank at altitude. Nowadays, block glaciers have been identified in the area, one of which is found at . The mountain is also one of the headwaters of the

, and water was transferred from Palpana to Antofagasta by pipeline. A minor vegetation cover of 20-25% of the surface is present. The mountain is worshipped by pastoralist people who inhabit the surrounding land, and remnants of a sanctuary have been found on its summit.

Notes

References

External links

"Palpana, Chile" on Peakbagger
* {{Authority control Volcanoes of Antofagasta Region Six-thousanders of the Andes Stratovolcanoes of Chile Pliocene stratovolcanoes

See also

Notes

References

External links