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Laguna del Maule

Maule, Laguna del

Caldera · Chile · 2162m

Pyroclastic cones and lava flows at the NW side of the Laguna del Maule volcanic center rise above the shore of the lake. This cluster of small stratovolcanoes, lava domes, and pyroclastic cones covers an area of 15 x 20 km within a Pleistocene caldera. Pleistocene and Holocene basaltic lava flows were erupted down the upper part of the Maule River valley and on all sides of the lake.
Pyroclastic cones and lava flows at the NW side of the Laguna del Maule volcanic center rise above the shore of the lake. This cluster of small stratovolcanoes, lava domes, and pyroclastic cones covers an area of 15 x 20 km within a Pleistocene caldera. Pleistocene and Holocene basaltic lava flows were erupted down the upper part of the Maule River valley and on all sides of the lake. · Photo: Photo by Oscar González-Ferrán (University of Chile). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Chile
Region
South America Volcanic Regions / Southern Andean Volcanic Arc
Elevation
2162m
Coordinates
-36.058, -70.492
Last eruption
-50
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Caldera
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

The Laguna del Maule volcanic complex includes a 15 x 25 km caldera with a cluster of small stratovolcanoes, lava domes, and pyroclastic cones of Pleistocene-to-Holocene age. The caldera lies mostly on the Chilean side of the border, but partially extends into Argentina. Fourteen Pleistocene basaltic lava flows were erupted down the upper part of the Maule river valley. A cluster of Pleistocene cinder cones was constructed on the NW side of Maule lake in the northern part of the caldera. The latest activity produced an explosion crater on the E side of the lake and a series of Holocene rhyolitic lava domes and blocky lava flows that surround it.

From Wikipedia

Laguna del Maule is a volcanic field in the Andes mountain range of Chile, close to, and partly overlapping, the Argentina–Chile border. The bulk of the volcanic field is in the Talca Province of Chile's Maule Region. It is a segment of the Southern Volcanic Zone, part of the Andean Volcanic Belt. The volcanic field covers an area of 500 km2 (190 sq mi) and features at least 130 volcanic vents. Volcanic activity has generated cones, lava domes, lava coulees and lava flows, which surround the Laguna del Maule lake. The field gets its name from the lake, which is also the source of the Maule River.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
4450 BCE~4250 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 01650 BCE~1450 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 0250 BCE~50 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI 04450 BCE3450 BCE2250 BCE1250 BCE250 BCE

Detailed timeline

  1. 50 BCEVEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 50 – Ongoing
  2. 250 BCEVEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 250 – Ongoing
  3. 1550 BCEVEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 1550 – Ongoing
  4. 4450 BCEVEI 0Geological estimate
    BCE 4450 – Ongoing

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.