Tupungato

Tupungato
Tupungato volcano seen from Punta de Vacas, Argentina.
Elevation	6,570 m (21,555 ft) [1]
Prominence	2,765 m (9,072 ft) [2]
Listing	Ultra
Location
Location	Mendoza Province, Argentina
Range	Andes
Coordinates	33°21′16″S 69°46′07″W / 33.35444°S 69.76861°W / -33.35444; -69.76861Coordinates: 33°21′16″S 69°46′07″W / 33.35444°S 69.76861°W / -33.35444; -69.76861
Geology
Type	Stratovolcano
Age of rock	Pleistocene
Volcanic arc/belt	South Volcanic Zone
Last eruption	1987
Climbing
First ascent	1897 by Matthias Zurbriggen and Stuart Vines

Aerial view of Tupungato (center-left) and Tupungatito.

Tupungato, one of the highest mountains in South America, is a massive stratovolcano dating to Pleistocene times. It lies on the border between the Chilean Metropolitan Region 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 (62 mi) south of Monte Aconcagua, the highest peak of the American continent. Immediately to its southwest lies the active Tupungatito volcano, which last erupted in 1987.

The mountain gives its name to the Tupungato Department an important Argentine wine producing region in the Mendoza province, Argentina.

1947 plane crash

Main article: Star Dust (aircraft)

On August 2, 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 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.

See also

• List of volcanoes in Argentina
• List of volcanoes in Chile

References

• "Tupungatito". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1507-01=. 

1. ^ The given elevation of 6,570 meters comes from Chilean 1:50.000 topographic mapping and is in accordance with SRTM data; the frequently given elevation of 6,800 meters is incorrect.
2. ^ Peaklist.org

External links

• Pictures of Mount Tupungato
• Technical information
• Star Dust Plane Crash Mystery
• Andes Mountains (Spanish) [1]