Misti

Misti
Highest point
Elevation 5,822 m (19,101 ft) [1]
Prominence 1,785 m (5,856 ft)
Listing Ultra
Coordinates 16°17′40″S 71°24′32″W / 16.29444°S 71.40889°W / -16.29444; -71.40889Coordinates: 16°17′40″S 71°24′32″W / 16.29444°S 71.40889°W / -16.29444; -71.40889 [1]
Geography
Misti

Peru

Location Arequipa, Peru
Parent range Andes
Geology
Mountain type Stratovolcano
Volcanic arc/belt Central Volcanic Zone
Last eruption 1985

Misti, also known as Putina[2] or Wawa Putina (Guagua Putina),[3] is a stratovolcano of andesite, dacite and rhyolite[4] located in southern Peru near the city of Arequipa. With its seasonally snow-capped, symmetrical cone, Misti stands at 5,822 metres (19,101 ft) above sea level and lies between mount Chachani (6,075 m or 19,931 ft) and Pichu Pichu volcano (5,669 m or 18,599 ft). Its last eruption was in 1985, 198 years after its previous documented eruption.[1]

Description

This mosaic of two astronaut photographs illustrates the proximity of Arequipa to Misti.

Misti has three concentric craters. In the inner crater fumarole activity can be seen. Near the inner crater six Inca mummies and rare Inca artifacts were found in 1998 during a month-long excavation directed by archaeologists Johan Reinhard and Jose Antonio Chavez. These findings are currently stored at the Museo de Santuarios Andinos in Arequipa.

There are two main climbing routes on the volcano. The Pastores route starts at 3,300 metres (10,800 ft). Usually a camp is made in 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) at Nido de Aguilas. The Aguada Blanca route starts at 4,000 metres (13,100 ft) near the Aguada Blanca reservoir, and a camp is made in 4,800 metres (15,700 ft) at Monte Blanco (the camp is named after Mont Blanc, the summit of which is approximately the same elevation as the camp). Neither climbing routes presents technical difficulties, but both are considered strenuous because of the steep loose sand slopes.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "El Misti". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  2. ↑ Thomas Besom, Of Summits and Sacrifice: An Ethnohistoric Study of Inka Religious Practices, An ethnohistoric study of Inka religious practices, University of Texas press, 2009
  3. ↑ "El Misti: Synonyms and Subfeatures". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  4. ↑ http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/content/113/12/1593

Further reading

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