Cerro Blanco (volcano)
Cerro Blanco (Spanish: [ˈsero ˈβlaŋko], "White Hill") is a caldera in the Andes of the Catamarca Province in Argentina. Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, it is a volcano collapse structure located at an altitude of 4,670 metres (15,320 ft) in a depression. The caldera is associated with a less well-defined caldera to the south and several lava domes.
| Cerro Blanco | |
|---|---|
Satellite image of Cerro Blanco volcano. The black area on the upper edge is Carachipampa volcano. Cerro Blanco caldera is located slightly left and below the centre of the image and is the grey-yellow area. Top of image is to the north-northeast. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,670 m (15,320 ft) |
| Listing | List of volcanoes in Argentina |
| Coordinates | 26°45′37″S 67°44′29″W |
| Naming | |
| English translation | White Hill |
| Language of name | Spanish |
| Geography | |
Cerro Blanco Location in Argentina | |
| Location | Catamarca Province, Argentina |
| Parent range | Andes |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Holocene |
| Mountain type | Caldera |
| Volcanic belt | Central Volcanic Zone |
| Last eruption | 2,300 ± 160 BCE |
The caldera has been active for the last eight million years, and eruptions have created several ignimbrites. An eruption occurred 73,000 years ago and formed the Campo de la Piedra Pómez ignimbrite layer. About 2,300 ± 160 BCE, the largest known volcanic eruption of the Central Andes, with a VEI-7, occurred at Cerro Blanco, forming the most recent caldera as well as thick ignimbrite layers. About 170 cubic kilometres (41 cu mi) of tephra were erupted then. The volcano has been dormant since then with some deformation and geothermal activity. A major future eruption would put nearby communities to the south at risk.
The volcano is also known for giant ripple marks that have formed on its ignimbrite fields. Persistent wind action on the ground has shifted gravel and sand, forming wave-like structures. These ripple marks have heights up to 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in) and are separated by distances up to 43 metres (141 ft). These ripple marks are among the largest on Earth and have been compared to Martian ripple marks by geologists.