Cerro de la Virgen, Argentina and Chile
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The Cerro de la Virgen is a mountain on the border between Argentina and Chile, located in Chubut Province (Argentina) and the Palena Commune of the Los Lagos Region (Chile). It was named by Argentine engineer Gunnar Lange in 1902 on his map used in the 1902 arbitral award. It is the source of the El Salto River. Until 1966, Chile claimed the entire mountain, while Argentina considered it a boundary feature during the Alto Palena–Encuentro River dispute. Lange mistakenly identified the El Salto River as the Encuentro River, placing the origin of the latter at Cerro de la Virgen. However, the Encuentro River actually originates from the Picacho de la Virgen, which was named after the homonymous hill.[1] The 1966 arbitral award established it as a boundary peak.
| Cerro de la Virgen | |
|---|---|
  Cerro de la Virgen Location within Los Lagos | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,833 m (6,014 ft) |
| Prominence | 135 m (443 ft) |
| Coordinates | 43°46′30″S 71°40′00″W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Languiñeo Department, Chubut Province, Argentina Palena Commune, Los Lagos Region, Chile |
| Parent range | Andes |
It reaches an elevation of 1,833 meters above sea level, with a topographic prominence of approximately 135 meters above the surrounding terrain. The base of the mountain covers an area of roughly 1.2 km.[n 1]
Characteristics
The terrain around Cerro de la Virgen is varied.[n 2] The highest point in the area is 2,050 meters and lies 19.2 km east of the mountain.[n 3]
Population density in the vicinity is less than 2 inhabitants per square kilometer,[2] and there are no nearby settlements. The region is dominated by mountainous landscapes.[n 4][3]
Vegetation around Cerro de la Virgen consists mainly of mixed forest.[4] The climate is continental, with an average annual temperature of 2 °C. The warmest month is February, at 12 °C, and the coldest is June, at −6 °C.[5]
Average annual precipitation is 3,085 mm, with December being the wettest month (350 mm) and September the driest (169 mm).[6]
Notes
- The calculation is based on the longest extent of the contour to determine topographic prominence.
- Calculation derived from elevation data (DEM 3") from Viewfinder Panoramas within a 10 km radius.
- Calculation derived from elevation data (DEM 3") from Viewfinder Panoramas.
- Within 20 km, compared to the average density of the area, per GeoNames.