Mocho-Choshuenco

Coordinates: 39°54′35″S 72°2′15″W / 39.90972°S 72.03750°W / -39.90972; -72.03750
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mocho-Choshuenco
South Volcanic Zone
Last eruption1937
Climbing
First ascent1934 Dr. Rudolf Haege, Kaerner and Steenbloock (Choshuenco)[citation needed]
Easiest routeChoshuenco (nearest village with provisions) – Enco – Río Blanco – Tumba del Buey – Mochos peak – Choshuencos peak (in that order)
Map of Mocho-Choshuenco made from an ASTER VNIR image
View of Mocho-Choshuenco from the camping beach of Riñihue

Mocho-Choshuenco (Pronounced:

Huilo-Huilo Natural Reserve
.

Choshuenco, located on the northwest rim of the 4 km wide

cinder cones
are located on the southwest and northeast flanks of the stratovolcano. Mocho has its earliest certainly recorded eruption in 1759, older eruptions reported are uncertain due to the usage of different names and inexact maps.

The northern foothills of Mocho-Choshuenco are surrounded by an arc of rivers and lakes formed by

Huilo-Huilo Falls may dry out completely. As consequence of this infiltration a large aquifer[3] is situated beneath Mocho-Choshuenco. The southern and eastern slopes drain to Pillanleufú River which flows south along the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault to Maihue Lake
.

Name

The two volcanoes have had several historical names such as Valdivia, used by

Pillán, Rauco, Penguipulli, Reñihue and Riñihue.[2][1]

The current name for the volcano is composed of the Spanish word mocho and the native

Mapudungun word choshuenco (pronounced choswenko). Mocho means short cut and refers to the headless or edgeless shape of Mocho's volcanic cone. The word choshuenco may be a corruption of the chodhuen and co which means yellow earth and water respectively. Another possible etymology is chod-hue and co which would mean place where there is water to dye yellow.[2]

Eruptions

Very little is known about eruptions before the Holocene epoch. This is explained by the great extent of the Patagonian Ice Sheet that covered most of the southern Andes and caught volcanic material such as ash and pyroclast. Glaciers of the ice sheet also reworked previously deposited layers.

Some 10,300 years ago Choshuenco produced the

Neltume Pumice during a plinian eruption.[1]

The earliest historical accounts of eruptions from the Mocho-Choshuenco complex may be those in

Valdivia. In Juan Ignacio Molina
's map from 1795 Mocho-choshuenco appears erupting under the name of Volcán de Valdivia, but eruption shown in this map is probably that of 1759.

On November 1, of 1864 the Chaiquemahuida cinder cone erupted, the eruption eventually ended 1–3 days later. This explosive eruption originated from a vent on the southwestern flank of Mocho's edifice and produced pyroclastic flows. According to a missionary from

Vidal Gormaz in 1869, a strong noise followed by an earthquake was felt during one of the first days of November 1864.[2]

The last reported eruption, is supposed to have occurred on June 16, 1936. Little is known about this event apart from the occurrence of mudflows and lahars, this have led volcanologists to consider this eruption report as a false report just like in the case of the supposed 1906 Lanín eruption.

Glaciers

The uppermost part of Mocho-Choshuenco is covered by an ice cap that surrounds the volcanic cone of Mocho and some flanks of Choshuenco. By 2003 the ice cap had shrunk in area by a total of 40% of its 28.4 km2 (11.0 sq mi) area of 1976.[4] The largest retreat by area occurred on Choshuenco Glacier in the northwest. Mocho Glacier runs from Mocho's cone to the southeast and is the largest glacier of the volcano with its 5.1 km2 followed by Choshuenco Glacier (2 km2).

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mocho-Choshuenco". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d Volcán Mocho-Choshuenco Archived August 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Cuenca del río Valdivia Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. S2CID 128094509
    .

External links

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