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 ...
lying between
Osorno Province
Osorno Province ( es, Provincia de Osorno) is one of the four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Los Lagos (X). The province has an area of and a population of 221,496 distributed across seven communes ( Spanish: ''comunas''). The provi ...
and
Llanquihue Province
Llanquihue Province ( es, Provincia de Llanquihue) is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Los Lagos (X). Its capital is Puerto Montt. Chile's second largest lake, Lake Llanquihue, is located in the province as well as four volcanoes: ...
, in
Los Lagos Region
Los Lagos Region ( es, Región de Los Lagos , ''Region of the Lakes'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains ...
of
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 stands on the southeastern shore of
Llanquihue Lake
Lake Llanquihue is the second-largest lake in Chile with an area of about , after Lake General Carrera which shared with Argentina. It is situated in the southern Los Lagos Region in the Llanquihue and Osorno provinces. The lake's fan-like form ...
, and also towers over
Todos los Santos Lake
Lake Todos los Santos (Spanish for "All Saints Lake") is a lake located in the Los Lagos Region of southern Chile, 96 km northeast of the regional capital Puerto Montt and 76 km east of Puerto Varas, within the boundaries of the Vicen ...
. Osorno is considered a symbol of the local landscape and, as such, tends to be the referential element of the area in regards to tourism and marks the beginning of Chilean Patagonia.
Etymology
The current name comes from a nearby town, Osorno, where it was visible to Spanish settlers. Native populations gave it different names, such as Purailla, Purarhue, Prarauque, Peripillan, Choshueco, Hueñauca and Guanauca. The latter two names were the most common in the mid-18th century.
Overview
The volcano has a height of 2,652 meters (8,701 feet) and its imposing conical feature looms over lake Llanquihue, across from the cities of Frutillar, Puerto Varas, and Llanquehue. There has been no volcanic activity for over one hundred years. Skiing and hiking have become a common activity on the mountain.
Location
Osorno is located almost 45 kilometers (28 miles) northeast of
Puerto Varas
Puerto Varas, also known as "La ciudad de las rosas" or “the city of roses”, is a city and commune located in the southern Chilean province of Llanquihue, in the Los Lagos Region.
The city is famous for its German traditions, its natural env ...
. Its height means that it can be seen from the entire province of Osorno, even in some places on the island of Chiloé, which dominates region's landscape. In recent years it has become a popular tourist attraction.
The volcano is accessible from Puerto Klocker, Ensenada, Petrohué and at its base is the town of Las Cascadas.
Volcanic activity
Osorno is one of the most active volcanoes of the southern Chilean
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 ...
, with eleven eruptions recorded between 1575 and 1869, and 1835.
On January 19, 1835 during the
second voyage of the Beagle
The second voyage of HMS ''Beagle'', from 27 December 1831 to 2 October 1836, was the second survey expedition of HMS ''Beagle'', under captain Robert FitzRoy who had taken over command of the ship on its first voyage after the previous capta ...
Charles Darwin was near
Ancud
Ancud () is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region. It is the second largest city of Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. The city was established in 1768 to function as ...
and witnessed an eruption of the volcano, which he recorded, noted, and made him suspect the existence of a relationship between the simultaneous activity of geographically distant volcanoes. However, the data on which it was based were, at least in part, wrong, since they reported an eruption in Aconcagua, which was almost impossible, since it is not a volcano, but rather a paleovolcano or extinct volcano.
Appearance
The
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 ...
and
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 ...
lava flow
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or und ...
s generated during these eruptions reached both lake Llanquihue and lake Todos Los Santos. The upper slopes of the volcano are almost entirely covered in
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
s despite its very modest altitude and latitude, sustained by the substantial snowfall in the very moist maritime climate of the region. This mountain also produces pyroclastic flow, since it is a composite volcano.
Some say the volcano looks similar in appearance to Mt Fuji in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
Osorno volcano sits on top of a 250,000-year-old eroded stratovolcano,
La Picada
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...