Abstract
This paper provides the first detailed description of Holocene volcanism at the Quetrupillán Volcanic Complex. This volcanic complex consists of a truncated and eroded stratocone plus sixteen well-preserved satellite vents on its lower flanks. Intense scouring of the stratocone’s flanks (presumably by ice) has removed much evidence of its Holocene eruptions, and thus the Holocene construction of the stratocone (i.e. number and volume of eruptions) cannot be determined. The sixteen satellite vents are the products of an uncertain number of eruptions, with trachyte comprising ~97% of the lava erupted. Geochemical analysis of tephra layers from three logged sections in nearby valleys provides evidence of three explosive eruptions from Quetrupillán. In these sections, no evidence of pyroclastic density current deposits was identified, which may suggest that explosive volcanic hazards from Quetrupillán are less than indicated on current hazard maps.
Highlights
The Quetrupillán Volcanic Complex (Complejo Volcánico Quetrupillán), shortened to Quetrupillán, lies in the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Chilean Andes, with the stratocone summit located at 39°30’ S, 71°43’ W (Figure 1)
In southern Chile the last glacial period is known as the Llanquihue (29,400–14,550 14C yr BP; Glasser et al [2008]), with the last glacial maximum (LGM) occurring 23,000– 19,000 cal yr ago, when ice covered the crest of the Andes for ~1800 km [Hulton et al 2002]
As Holocene volcanism at Quetrupillán has not been the subject of a detailed study, we provide a description of the volcanic features, with a focus on the trachyte lavas
Summary
The Quetrupillán Volcanic Complex (Complejo Volcánico Quetrupillán), shortened to Quetrupillán, lies in the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Chilean Andes, with the stratocone summit (elevation 2360 m) located at 39°30’ S, 71°43’ W (Figure 1). Deglaciation started ~17,500–17,150 cal yr ago with abrupt and stepped warming resulting in a dramatic reduction of the ice mass covering the Andes in this part of Chile [Hulton et al 2002; Moreno et al 1999]. Any lava that demonstrates the typical subaerial characteristics of (unconfined) spreading across the landscape, plus preservation of ‘delicate’ features (e.g. loose, blocky carapaces), is assigned a Holocene age. This simple two-fold classification scheme has been used at other Chilean volcanoes such as Nevados de Chillán [Dixon et al 1999], and the nearby volcanoes of Villarrica and Lanín [Lara et al 2004; Moreno Roa et al 1994]
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