Tatajachura
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tatajachura | |
|---|---|
  Tatajachura | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,240 m (17,190 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 19°30′S 69°07′W / 19.5°S 69.12°W[1] |
Tatajachura is a stratovolcano in Chile, in the Isluga National Park.[2]
During the Pliocene and Pleistocene it erupted lava flows of andesitic composition[1] and has a crater that opens westwards.[3] The volcano is also the source of the Quebrada de Chiapa valley,[4] and of an Inca ruin on the summit; human sacrifices were performed at the mountain to obtain a reliable water supply.[5]
The age of eruptive activity is unclear; while the appearance of the edifice suggests a lower Pliocene age, its position in the Precordillera and atop an older plain suggests it may be older than that.[6] Potassium-argon dating has yielded one age, 6 ± 1.3 million years ago.[7]
