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Isluga Volcano

Updated: Mar 29, 2024 06:16 GMT -
stratovolcano 5550+ m / 18,208 ft
Northern Chile, Bolivia and Argentina (South America), -19.15°S / -68.83°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Last update: 4 Mar 2022

Volcán Isluga volcano is a broad stratovolcano in northern Chile 7 km west of the Bolivian border and forms the western end of a group of volcanoes extending to Tata Sabaya volcano in Bolivia. Isluga volcano is part of the 175,000 hectares Isluga National Park.
Isluga's summit contains a morphologically young, 400 m wide crater at the western end of the elongated, snow-covered summit region. Many lava flows with distinct levees can be seen on the southern flank and in 1878, lava flows destroyed several towns. At present, there is fumarolic activity at Isluga volcano, the last confirmed eruption was a small explosive eruption in 1913.

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Typical eruption style: explosive
Isluga volcano eruptions: 1960(?), 1913(?), 1885, 1878, 1877, 1869, 1868, 1863

Latest nearby earthquakes

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Background

Recent eruptions were phreatomagmatic and produced surges whose deposits can be found around the active crater. Holocene lava flows cover the northernmost ridge of the volcano.
An older glaciated dacite flow from the northwest side of the volcano has been dated at at 96,000 years. Lavas from Isluga overlie rocks from a dissected volcano (Quimsachatas) to the north and northeast, which erupted 566,000 years ago.
(From: Wörner et al (2000), "Geochronology (40Ar/39Ar, K-Ar and He-exposure ages) of Cenozoic magmatic rocks from Northern Chile (18-22°S): implications for magmatism and tectonic evolution of the central Andes", Rev. geol. Chile vol.27 n.2

Eruptions of Isluga volcano
Major eruptions occurred in 1868, 1869, 1877, and 1878, and smaller eruptions in 1863, 1885 and 1913. The activity reported in 1960 is uncertain.

Latest satellite images

Isluga satellite image sat1Isluga satellite image sat2
Mon, 15 Oct 2012, 10:05

Unrest detected at Isluga volcano

Some signs of unrest have been discovered at Isluga volcano in horthern Chile at the border with Bolivia. The Volcano Observatory of the Southern Andes (OVDAS) belonging to the National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) installed 2 seismic stations at the volcano and recorded some seismic events. Moreover, steaming fumaroles and a smell of sulfur were noticed. Read all

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