Tupungato

Tupungato
Aerial view of Tupungato volcano from Argentina.
Highest point
Elevation6,570 m (21,560 ft)[A]
Prominence2,765 m (9,072 ft)[1]
ListingUltra
Coordinates33°21′30″S 69°46′12″W / 33.35833°S 69.77000°W / -33.35833; -69.77000[1]
Geography
Tupungato is located in Argentina
Tupungato
Tupungato
Location on the Argentina–Chile border
LocationMendoza Province, Argentina – Metropolitan Region, Chile
Parent rangePrincipal Cordillera, Andes
Geology
Rock agePleistocene[2]
Mountain typeLava dome[2]
Volcanic zoneSouth Volcanic Zone
Last eruption0.8 million years ago.[3]
Climbing
First ascent1897 by Matthias Zurbriggen and Stuart Vines[4]

Tupungato, one of the highest mountains in the Americas, is a massive Andean lava dome dating to Pleistocene times.[2] It lies on the Argentina–Chile border, between the Chilean Metropolitan Region (near a major international highway about 80 km or 50 mi east of Santiago) and the Argentine province of Mendoza, about 100 km (60 mi) south of Aconcagua, the highest peak of both the Southern and Western hemispheres. Immediately to its southwest is the active Tupungatito volcano (literally, little Tupungato), which last erupted in 1987.

Tupungato Department, an important Argentine wine-producing region in Mendoza province, is named for the volcano. Recent Chilean mapping indicates it has a summit elevation of 6635 m.[5]

Tupungato volcano seem from south. Mount Aconcagua in the background.

1947 plane crash

Main article: 1947 BSAA Avro Lancastrian Star Dust accident

On 2 August 1947, the airliner Star Dust, an Avro Lancastrian carrying six passengers and five crew over the Andes range, crashed into a steep glacier high on the Argentine side of Tupungato. The plane was quickly buried in the resulting avalanche and heavy snowfall that was taking place at the time. The plane lay undetected deep beneath the snow and glacial ice for over 50 years. Its remnants finally re-emerged at the glacier terminus in 2000. Shortly thereafter, an Argentine army expedition discovered the scattered debris and wreckage, collecting some of the evidence for investigation.

Aerial view of Tupungato (center-left) and Tupungatito.
Tupungato volcano seen from Punta de Vacas, Argentina.

Climbing

The first ascent of Tupungato was achieved during a 4th attempt on April 12 1897 by the mountaineers Matthias Zurbriggen and Stuart Vines.[6] In January 1985, Argentine climbers Guillermo Viero and Leonardo Rabal were the first to attempt an ascent from the more challenging eastern side of the mountain. During this attempt, both climbers lost their lives[7] and their bodies were found and recovered by fellow climbers.[8] In 2024, Viero's backpack was found on Tupungato by mountaineer Gabriela Cavallaro, who found a Super 8 camera with material providing proof that Viero and Rabal hat succeeded in their ascent. In February 2025, Cavallaro and two of Viero's sister set out on an expedition to retrieve the backpack as part of an expedition.[9]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The given elevation of 6,570 m (21,560 ft) comes from Chilean 1:50.000 topographic mapping and is in accordance with SRTM data; the frequently given elevation of 6,800 m (22,300 ft) is incorrect.

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b "Argentina and Chile, Central Ultra Prominences". Peaklist.
  2. ^ a b c González Díaz, Emilio F. (1961). "Contribución al Conocimiento de la Petrografía del Cerro Tupungato (Provincia de Mendoza) y de otras Rocas Efusivas de la Región". Dirección Nacional de Geología y Minería (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Tupungato". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  4. ^ Vines, Stuart (1899). "The ascent of Aconcagua and Tupungato" (PDF). Alpine Journal. #19: 565–578. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  5. ^ Biggar, John (2020). The Andes – A Guide for Climbers and Skiers (5th ed.). Andes. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-9536087-6-8.
  6. ^ Stettler, Peter (16 September 2019). "Matthias Zurbriggen 1856–1917. Walliser Bergführerlegende aus Macugnaga (It)". Schweizer Alpen-Club SAC (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  7. ^ "CCAM". culturademontania.org.ar. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  8. ^ "CCAM". culturademontania.org.ar. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  9. ^ "Daughters scale mountain to retrieve photos, bag and pickaxe of legendary dad who died on peak 40 years ago - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2026.

Bibliography

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