Licancabur formed from Pleistoceneignimbrites and it has been active during the Holocene, after the ice ages. Three stages of lava flows emanate from the edifice and have a young appearance. Although no historic eruptions of the volcano are known, lava flows extending into Laguna Verde have been dated to 13,240 ± 100 BP and there may be residual heat in the mountain. The volcano has primarily erupted andesite, with small amounts of dacite and basaltic andesite.
Several archaeological sites have been found on the mountain, both on its summit and northeastern foot. They are thought to have been constructed by the Inca or Atacama people for religious and cultural ceremonies and are among the most important in the region. The mountain is the subject of a number of myths, which view it as the husband of another mountain, the hiding place of Inca or the burial of an Inca king.
Etymology
The name Licancabur comes from the Kunza language,[1] where lican means "people" or "town" and cábur/[2]caur, caure or cauri "mountain";[3] it may refer to the archaeological sites at the mountain.[4] The name of the volcano has also been translated as "upper village".[5] Other names are Licancáguar,[2] Licancaur (which is another orthography),[4] Tata Likanku[6] and Volcán de Atacama.[7]
Licancabur is one of the widely known volcanoes within Bolivia and Chile and can be seen from San Pedro de Atacama.[8][9] The region was conquered by the Inca in the 14th century and by the Spaniards during the 16th century.[1] Today it is of interest for research on animal health, remote sensing, telecommunication and the fact that the environment around Licancabur may be the closest equivalent to Mars that exists on Earth,[10][11][12] while current conditions at its lakes resemble those on former lakes on Mars.[13][14].[10]
Licancabur is a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) high and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) wide[18] uneroded[16] symmetrical cone[18] with steep slopes.[23] The mountain dominates its surroundings.[24] The summit at 5,916 metres (19,409 ft) elevation[25][c] is capped by a 500 metres (1,600 ft)[16]-400 metres (1,300 ft) wide summit crater.[28] The 70 by 90 metres (230 ft × 300 ft)[23] freshwater Licancabur Lake[29] in the crater is one of the highest lakes in the world.[30] The western slopes are better developed than the eastern. The total volume of the volcano is about 35 cubic kilometres (8.4 cu mi)[18] or 44 cubic kilometres (11 cu mi),[31] formed by layers of lava and pyroclastics.[25] There are traces of lahars.[32]
Young-looking[18] black-grey[33]lava flows emanate from the summit crater[25] and surround the cone, reaching distances of 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the summit west of Licancabur.[23] The flows are 10–50 metres (33–164 ft)[16] thick block lavas,[30] and feature structures like ridges, levees[18] and blocks several metres thick. A debris avalanche deposit is found on the western side of Licancabur.[16] The slopes of the mountain are notably unstable.[34]
The landscape around the volcano consists of basins separated by mountain chains.[35] At the northeastern foot of Licancabur is Laguna Verde.[36] The mountain is part of the drainage divide between the Altiplano and the Salar de Atacama.[37] Southwest of Licancabur are the Vilama and San Pedro rivers, which flow to San Pedro de Atacama.[38]
The volcanic chain continues north across Portezuelo Chaxas mountain pass, beginning with Sairecabur.[24][48][36] To the southeast is 5,704 metres (18,714 ft) high[7]Juriques, which formed during the Pleistocene and has a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) wide summit crater;[23] the two volcanoes form an offset in the volcanic chain.[49] Farther south next to Portezuelo del Cajon is Cerro Toco of the Purico complex.[22][15] The Chaxas lava dome was active during the Pliocene when it formed ignimbrites now buried under Licancabur.[30]
The climate is cold, dry, windy with low atmospheric pressure and large day-night temperature differences.[10] Daytime temperatures on the summit range from 5 – −25 °C (41 – −13 °F) and at nighttime between −25 – −40 °C (−13 – −40 °F).[13] Annual mean precipitation reaches 360 millimetres (14 in) decreasing to 200 metres (660 ft) at its base,[59] but is highly variable.[60] The Atacama Desert is one of the driest on Earth.[61] The arid climate is due to subsidence of air within the South Pacific Anticyclone, which extends to the Andes.[62] Owing to the dry climate,[63] snow cover on Licancabur is ephemeral[1] and there are no glaciers.[63] During the local Last Glacial Maximum the snowline may have decreased to 4,000–4,800 metres (13,100–15,700 ft) elevation[64] but there is no evidence of glacial activity on Licancabur.[65]Periglacial phenomena occur on Licancabur.[66] The region likely has Earth's highest insolation rate.[d][69]
Plants on Licancabur include grasses, tola and yareta.[70][71] There is a vertical structure, with cushion plants and tussocks dominating within a 3,850–4,200 metres (12,630–13,780 ft) elevation, widely spaced shrubs between 2,700–3,100 metres (8,900–10,200 ft), and the highest plant density found within these belts.[27] Some areas are used as pastures.[72] Isolated wetlands occur at the foot of the volcano.[73]
The volcano formed mostly during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene, and bears no traces of glacial erosion.[40][18] Three generations of lava flows are distinguishable from their appearance and chemistry. The basal unit crops out at the western and northeastern foot and consists of the earliest magma; the intermediate layer, which forms most of the western and southern sectors; and the upper unit, which forms the central cone and represents the most differentiated magmas.[82] The older flows are north and west of Licancabur, overlap with flows from Sairecabur and are partly buried by debris avalanche deposits and moraines.[18][44] Activity at Licancabur impacted the environment at Laguna Verde, causing changes in water chemistry.[83]
An earlier explosive eruption produced pyroclastic flows.[16] The flank lava flows are the most recent activity.[23] There are no known historical or Holocene eruptions,[18][84] and the preservation of Inca ruins in the summit implies that it has been inactive for 600–1000 years.[25] However, the elevated temperatures in the crater implyies that the volcano still has heat,[85] while lava flows overran 13,240 ± 100 years old shorelines at Laguna Verde.[83] Licancabur is thus considered to be potentially active,[65] although SERNAGEOMIN deems it as low-hazard, and as of 2023[update] placed it as the 68th most dangerous volcano in Chilie, out of total of 87.[86] Given the volcano is remote from inhabited areas, any pyroclastic fallout would be of limited extent.[85]
Archaeology and religious importance
Prehistoric manmade constructions are widespread on the mountains of the region, including Licancabur and Juriques.[87] The complex on Licancabur includes multiple structures with mostly semicircular or rectangular shapes[88] and a ceremonial platform,[89] all in the eastern part of the crater.[88] The structures may have had had roofs and are built like pircas (no mortar).[90][91] Reports from 1887 and 1955 mention piles of wood.[92][91] A stone semicircle surrounding an upright stone has been compared to an altar, ushnu.[93] The sites on the summit were presumably used for equinox and solstice feasts.[94] Notably, no human sacrifices (capacocha) are associated with Licancabur.[89]
Another site, Tambo de Licancabur or Tambo Licancabur, lies at 4,600 metres (15,100 ft) elevation on the northeastern foot of Licancabur.[95][96][97][98] It consists of over a hundred man-made structures[99] and a 70 metres (230 ft) long public square. More than a hundred people could stay at Tambo de Licancabur,[100] which was not permanently inhabited.[101] Both Inca and local pottery styles have been found there.[102] From Tambo de Licancabur, a zig-zag path led up to the mountain,[103][94] along which there are further Inca structures[104] from which Tambo de Licancabur was visible;[105] today the path is largely destroyed or blocked by landslides.[94] Tambo de Licancabur has been interpreted either as a site where, during festivities, people who could not ascent the mountain congregated[106] – a base camp, corpahuasi[107] – or as a tambo, an Inca waystation, on the road between San Pedro de Atacama and Inca territories in present-day Bolivia. This interpretation is not mutually exclusive with the former.[108][98] The whole Licancabur complex was one of the most important in the region,[104] and may have been part of a wider regional religious centre.[109] The archaeological sites on Licancabur are sometimes interpreted to be part of a lookout system for the region,[110][111] or as a symbol of Inca dominance in the San Pedro de Atacama area.[112] The Inca road passed at the foot of the volcano,[113] making the site easily accessible.[100]
The mountain was worshipped by the Atacameno and Inca until the 20th century.[1][98][2] Licancabur was important in local cultural rituals,[114] and is to this day used in culturally important events.[115] At least one burial in a local cemetery was oriented to Licancabur.[116]
There are several legends tied to the mountain: The male Licancabur was married to female Quimal in the Cordillera Domeyko,[87][117] and the two are considered paramount mountains which protect the local communities[118] and fertilize the ground during their copulation.[119] In the local Atacameno mythology the mountain controls fire (and San Pedro water),[120] while in Socaire's mythology it is a source of water.[121] In another myth Licancabur is the tomb of a legless Inca king[122] that was carried around the region in a litter.[123] A final tale says that once, the crater lake had fresh water. When Inca fled from white people to Licancabur, they hid their treasures. The waters of the lake turned bitter and its colour green.[124] Ascending the mountain was considered taboo,[2] and the mountain vigorously defends against violations of its summit;[94] allegedly the 1953 Calama earthquake was in retaliation for the ascent of the mountain in that year.[91] Whether there are legends of Inca treasury associated with Licancabur[94] is unclear.[2]
Ascent
The mountain was first ascended by the Inca or the Atacameno people.[91] The first documented ascent was by Severo Titichoca in November 1884.[125] Climbers typically approach Licancabur from the Bolivian side. It can be ascended year round, although caution is needed during winter. Ascents take six hours, descents take about half that time. Poor weather conditions can quickly develop, and ascending can be difficult given the unstable slopes on the upper cone.[124][28][126]
Notes
^Direct measurement with Google Earth, Line Ruler tool
^Other elevations have been reported,[26][24] including heights exceeding 6,000 metres (20,000 ft).[27]
^Claims that the UV index at Licancabur can reach values exceeding 40 have drawn scrutiny, as such high UV indices may not be plausible within Earth's atmosphere[67] even accounting for UV radiation reflected by clouds.[68]
^A species of cuckoo bee has been named after the volcano.[76]
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