Palei-Aike Volcano
Updated: Apr 18, 2024 22:58 GMT -
cinder cones and maars 282 m / 925 ft
Southern Chile and Argentina (South America), -52°S / -70°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Southern Chile and Argentina (South America), -52°S / -70°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Palei-Aike volcano (also written as Pali-Aike volcano) is a young volcanic field along the border of southern Argentina and CHile, north of the Straits of Magellan. It contains lake-filled maars and basaltic cinder cones and young lava flows.
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Palei-Aike volcano eruptions: 5550 BC ± 1000 years
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Background
From Smithsonian / GVP volcano information:The 3000 sq km Pleistocene-to-Holocene Palei-Aike volcanic field straddles the Chile-Argentina border north of the Straits of Magellan, about 150 km NE of the town of Punta Arenas. The southernmost of the Patagonian basaltic plateau lavas, Palei-Aike contains lake-filled maars and basaltic scoria and spatter cones with associated fresh-looking lava flows.
The distribution of maars and cones indicates that eruptions occurred along regional fissures oriented E-W and NW-SE. The earliest eruptions produced maars and associated lava flows that are now exposed only in river valleys. A second stage formed now-eroded spatter cones and soil-covered lava flows. The youngest cones and lava flows are found in the SE part of the volcanic field. The most recent volcanic event produced scoria and spatter cones and fresh lava flows not covered by soil. Ejecta covers prehistorical artifacts (Skewes and Stern, 1979).
Cited reference:
Skewes M A, Stern C R, 1979. Petrology and geochemistry of alkali basalts and ultramafic inclusions from the Palei-Aike volcanic field in southern Chile and the origin of the Patagonian plateau lavas. J Volc Geotherm Res, 6: 3-25
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