Tupungato
Mountain in Argentina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tupungato, one of the highest mountains in the Americas, is a massive Andean lava dome dating to Pleistocene times.[2] It lies on the Argentina–Chile border, between the Chilean Metropolitan Region (near a major international highway about 80 km or 50 mi east of Santiago) and the Argentine province of Mendoza, about 100 km (60 mi) south of Aconcagua, the highest peak of both the Southern and Western hemispheres. Immediately to its southwest is the active Tupungatito volcano (literally, little Tupungato), which last erupted in 1987.
| Tupungato | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Tupungato volcano from Argentina. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,570 m (21,560 ft)[A] |
| Prominence | 2,765 m (9,072 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Ultra |
| Coordinates | 33°21′30″S 69°46′12″W[1] |
| Geography | |
  Tupungato Location on the Argentina–Chile border | |
| Location | Mendoza Province, Argentina – Metropolitan Region, Chile |
| Parent range | Principal Cordillera, Andes |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Pleistocene[2] |
| Mountain type | Lava dome[2] |
| Volcanic zone | South Volcanic Zone |
| Last eruption | 0.8 million years ago.[3] |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1897 by Matthias Zurbriggen and Stuart Vines[4] |
Tupungato Department, an important Argentine wine-producing region in Mendoza province, is named for the volcano. Recent Chilean mapping indicates it has a summit elevation of 6635 m.[5]
1947 plane crash
On 2 August 1947, the airliner Star Dust, an Avro Lancastrian carrying six passengers and five crew over the Andes range, crashed into a steep glacier high on the Argentine side of Tupungato. The plane was quickly buried in the resulting avalanche and heavy snowfall that was taking place at the time. The plane lay undetected deep beneath the snow and glacial ice for over 50 years. Its remnants finally re-emerged at the glacier terminus in 2000. Shortly thereafter, an Argentine army expedition discovered the scattered debris and wreckage, collecting some of the evidence for investigation.
Climbing
The first ascent of Tupungato was achieved during a 4th attempt on April 12 1897 by the mountaineers Matthias Zurbriggen and Stuart Vines.[6] In January 1985, Argentine climbers Guillermo Viero and Leonardo Rabal were the first to attempt an ascent from the more challenging eastern side of the mountain. During this attempt, both climbers lost their lives[7] and their bodies were found and recovered by fellow climbers.[8] In 2024, Viero's backpack was found on Tupungato by mountaineer Gabriela Cavallaro, who found a Super 8 camera with material providing proof that Viero and Rabal hat succeeded in their ascent. In February 2025, Cavallaro and two of Viero's sister set out on an expedition to retrieve the backpack as part of an expedition.[9]