Tupungato

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Tupungato

Elevation 6,570 metres (21,555 ft)[1]
Location Chile/Mendoza Province, Argentina
Range Andes
Prominence 2,765 m (9,072 ft)[2]
Coordinates 33°21′16″S 69°46′07″W / -33.35444, -69.76861Coordinates: 33°21′16″S 69°46′07″W / -33.35444, -69.76861
Type Stratovolcano
Age of rock Pleistocene
First ascent 1897 by Matthias Zurbriggen and Stuart Vines

Tupungato is one of the highest mountains in South America, a massive stratovolcano dating to Pleistocene times. It lies on the border between Chile and the province of Mendoza, Argentina, near a major international highway about 80 km (50 mi) east of Santiago, Chile. It is located about 100 km (60 mi) south of Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America, and gives its name to an important Argentine wine producing region within Mendoza, the Tupungato Department. Many villages are found in the area, and Tupungato is traditionally approached from either the north, west, or south. Nearby to the southwest is the smaller peak known as Tupungatito, an active volcano whose last eruption was in 1987.[3]

[edit] 1947 plane crash

On August 2, 1947, the airliner Star Dust, an Avro Lancastrian carrying 11 passengers over the Andes range, crashed into a steep glacier high on 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, before its remnants finally re-emerged at the glacier terminus in 2000. Shortly thereafter, a team discovered the scattered debris and wreckage, collecting some of the evidence for investigation.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The elevation of 6,570 metres given is from Chilean 1:50,000 topographic mapping and is in agreement with SRTM data; a frequently given elevation of 6,800 metres is incorrect.
  2. ^ Peaklist.org
  3. ^ Tupungatito on the Global Volcanism Program

[edit] External links