Olca-Paruma

Coordinates: 20°56′32″S 68°30′12″W / 20.94222°S 68.50333°W / -20.94222; -68.50333[1]
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Olca volcano lies in the background.

20°56′32″S 68°30′12″W / 20.94222°S 68.50333°W / -20.94222; -68.50333

volcanic complex in Chile. Lying on the border between Chile and Bolivia, it is formed by an east–west alignment of volcanoes. From west to east, these are Cerro Paruma, Volcan Paruma, Olca, and Mencheca or Michincha
. Aside from the mines of Ujina, Rosario, and Quebrada Blanca, the area is sparsely populated.

These volcanoes have erupted mainly

glaciation on the volcanoes, including moraines
.

The only historical activity of unspecified character occurred during 1865–1867; the volcano may still be a threat to Bolivia and Chile. It also features vigorous fumarolic activity and has been inspected for its geothermal energy potential.

Geomorphology and geography

Olca-Paruma forms part of the Chile-

Potosi Department.[1] The Estación Yuma and the Estación Ruquíos lie at the southern foot of Olca-Paruma, along with an unpaved road. The buildings of Cercicha and Pajancha lie on the Bolivian side, at the southeastern foot.[4]

Southwest of Olca-Paruma lie various mines, including, in order of increasing distance: Ujina, Rosario, and Quebrada Blanca.[5] Habitations in the area include Amincha,[3] Collahuasi, Cosca, and Ollagüe.[1] Olca-Paruma is relatively remote from human habitation.[6]

Regional

Olca-Paruma belongs to the

Alitar, Guallatiri, Lastarria, Olca-Paruma, Ollagüe, Putana, and Tacora. The volcanic activity of the CVZ ultimately is caused by the Nazca Plate subducting beneath the South American Plate.[7]

Map of the region

Local

Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

Olca-Paruma is a 20-kilometre (12 mi) long

summit crater, and two craters are found on Volcan Paruma,[9] plus at least twelve additional vents. Some vents have well-preserved craters[13] and others are eroded.[9] The volcanoes are accompanied by surge deposits formed during explosive activity.[14] The basal diameter of the edifice is 17 kilometres (11 mi), the basal surface 227 square kilometres (88 sq mi), and the volume of the edifice is 74 cubic kilometres (18 cu mi).[1]

Lava flows reaching lengths of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) extend in a northerly direction from the summit crater of Olca.[8] There appear to be older lava flows on the western side of Olca that reach lengths of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) and that have been buried by younger flows.[9] Other lava flows on the northern and western sides of the volcano were erupted from vents farther west of Olca. Some fresh lava flows extend in a southeasterly direction from Volcan Paruma, reaching 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) in length.[2] They are long and 300 metres (980 ft) wide and do not branch. Another much shorter lava flow with flow ridges lies east of Volcan Paruma's summit.[9]

The basement is formed by the Miocene-Pliocene age Ujina ignimbrite.[8] The basement around Olca volcano lies at an elevation of about 4,200 metres (13,800 ft).[9] The Salar de Laguani sits at the eastern foot of Olca-Paruma and the Salar de la Laguna at its northern foot.[12]

Hydrology

The southern side of the complex shows some traces of past

warm spring is located at the foot of Olca-Paruma.[17] The eastern slopes drain into the Salar de Laguani,[12] the northern slopes into the Salar de la Laguna, and the southwestern slopes into the Salar Michincha. On the southeastern side the Rio Pajancha originates on Olca-Paruma's slopes, while the southern slope drains into the Salar de Alconcha through the Quebrada Churchicha and Quebrada Juchuchurchicha.[4]

Composition

Lava flows contain

calc-alkaline suite.[16]

Fumarolic alteration is widespread on the volcanic complex, being conspicuous on the ridge between Olca and Volcan Paruma and on the northern and southeastern flanks. Sulfur is present on the volcano,[9] mainly around Olca,[13] and was mined into the 1980s.[9] Sulfur mines on the Bolivian side include Mina Carlota between Olca and Paruma and Mina Tres Rayas on Olca.[12] The sulfur was then loaded onto rails at Puquios station, on the Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia rail line.[18]

Fumarolic activity

The

ppm over the area.[20]

Ground temperatures in the fumarole fields is about 357–364 K (84–91 °C; 183–196 °F).[21] Satellite observation has shown temperature anomalies reaching 6 K (11 °F) ,[22][23] potentially caused by the fumarolic activity.[22]

Fumarole gases in Olca appear to be influenced by

magmatic ones, including high methane concentrations and overall high carbon/sulfur ratios.[24] Conversely, water in the fumaroles appears to be roughly equally of magmatic and meteoric origin,[25] and the carbon dioxide is almost entirely of non-mantle origin, and predominantly from limestone.[26] Argon isotope data indicate a moderately radiogenic origin for the argon,[27] and a substantial amount of helium seems to have been added by the crust.[28]

Ultimately, the fumarolic gases of Olca appear to form in a hydrothermal system above magma, at high temperatures of 280–400 °C (536–752 °F) and with significant contributions from the magma itself, suggesting that there is still liquid magma beneath Olca-Paruma with a resulting risk of future volcanic activity.[6]

Olca-Paruma has been investigated as a potential source of geothermal energy. Drilling to depths less than 700 metres (2,300 ft) has demonstrated the existence of warm groundwater beneath a clay layer, with temperatures of 70 °C (158 °F).[17] A layer of high electrical conductivity has been found at depths of between 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) and 5–7 kilometres (3.1–4.3 mi) beneath Olca-Paruma. This conductive zone extends to Irruputuncu and appears to be part of a general high conductivity area associated with the volcanic arc.[29]

Eruption history

The Olca-Paruma complex has been active since 80,000 years before present

phreatomagmatic and formed the summit craters.[14]

The occurrence of recent volcanic activity and its location on the Olca-Paruma complex is unclear.

Fumarolic activity takes place in an area of 0.1 square kilometres (0.039 sq mi) on Olca's summit[11] and has been ongoing for over sixty years, and may have spiked in November 1989 – March 1990 when seismic and fumarolic activity occurred at the volcano.[8] During that instance, strong fumarolic activity was observed on 13 November 1989 from Ujina, and seismic activity was reported in mid-March of the subsequent year.[2] This fumarolic activity occurred in coincidence with earthquakes at Iquique on the coast.[9]

Seismic activity

Three potential

seismic swarms occurred in 2010: on 6 May, 2 July and 7 September.[5] A cluster of seismic activity has been observed between Olca-Paruma and Irruputuncu.[32]

An ANDIVOLC[c] seismometer array lies at Olca-Paruma, with over six seismometers in total around the volcano.[34] Between 2010 and 2011, these seismometers observed earthquake activity ranging from a mean of 1.6 to a maximum of 10 earthquakes per day,[23] most of which have, however, been linked to mining activity.[35]

Hazards

As one of

SERNAGEOMIN considers it a middle-to-low hazard volcano, the 46th most dangerous volcano of Chile and publishes a volcano hazard level for the volcano.[3] A hazard map has also been published.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Olca". www.sernageomin.gov.cl (in Spanish). Sernageomin. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Olca-Paruma". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  3. ^ a b c "Olca". www.sernageomin.gov.cl (in Spanish). Sernageomin. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  4. ^
    SERNAGEOMIN. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 9 April 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Pritchard et al. 2014, p. 98.
  6. ^ a b Tassi et al. 2011, p. 132.
  7. ^ Tassi et al. 2011, p. 121.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Tassi et al. 2011, p. 122.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Olca & Paruma". volcano.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
  10. ^ a b Tassi et al. 2011, p. 123.
  11. ^ a b c d Martínez, Andrea; Navas, Sofia; González, Cristóbal; Aguilera, Felipe (November 2017). Geología del Complejo Volcánico Olca-Paruma, norte de Chile. 12º Encuentro del Centro Internacional de Ciencias de la Tierra E-ICES 12 (in Spanish). Argentina – via ResearchGate.
  12. ^ a b c d "Estancia Seccicha" (PDF). lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/bolivia_50k.
  13. ^
    SERNAGEOMIN. 2017. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on February 11, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  14. ^
    ISBN 9783642773556
    .
  15. ISBN 3906151034
    .
  16. ^ a b c Chesta, Sofía Andrea Navas; Martínez, Sonia; González, Cristóbal (December 2018). Evolución geológica del Complejo Volcánico Olca-Paruma (CVOP), norte de Chile (PDF). 15th Chilean Geological Congress (in Spanish). p. 974. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  17. ^
    S2CID 55363214
    .
  18. ISSN 1853-1296
    .
  19. ^ Jay et al. 2013, p. 169.
  20. ^ Clavero, J.; Soler, V.; Amigo, A. (August 2006). "CARACTERIZACIÓN PRELIMINAR DE LA ACTIVIDAD SÍSMICA Y DE DESGASIFICACIÓN PASIVA DE VOLCANES ACTIVOS DE LOS ANDES CENTRALES DEL NORTE DE CHILE" (PDF). biblioserver.sernageomin.cl (in Spanish). 11th Chilean Geological Congress. p. 445. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2016.
  21. ^ Jay et al. 2013, p. 176.
  22. ^ a b Jay et al. 2013, p. 164.
  23. ^ a b Pritchard et al. 2014, p. 92.
  24. ^ Tassi et al. 2011, p. 128.
  25. ^ Tassi et al. 2011, p. 129.
  26. ^ Tassi et al. 2011, pp. 129–130.
  27. ^ Tassi et al. 2011, p. 127.
  28. ^ Tassi et al. 2011, p. 130.
  29. S2CID 35140938
    .
  30. ^
    ISSN 0716-0208
    .
  31. ISSN 0012-821X
    .
  32. ^ Pritchard et al. 2014, p. 102.
  33. Bibcode:2010AGUFM.G33A0845C
    .
  34. ^ Pritchard et al. 2014, p. 91.
  35. ^ Pritchard et al. 2014, p. 97.
  36. ^ "Bolivia". The World Factbook. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  37. ^ Cuiza, Paulo (24 April 2015). "En Bolivia hay 11 volcanes potencialmente activos y no hay monitoreo de actividad". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz.

Sources

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e All heights and coordinates according to the Synonyms & Subfeatures table of the Global Volcanism Program; data on Olca is obtained from the main GVP listing
  2. ^ Wörner et al. 2000 also offers a date of 80,000 ± 40,000 years ago but renders it as both "80,000 ± 40,000 years ago" and "-80,000 ± 40,000 years ago";[30] negative ages are unphysical.[31]
  3. ^ A NASA project that investigates earthquake activity in the Central Andes[33]

External links

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