Láscar

Láscar is the most active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes, with 37 eruptions recorded since the mid-19th century.

The April 1993 VEI 4 eruption was the largest in the central Andes since a major event at Huaynaputina in Peru in 1600 — a gap of nearly 400 years.

Ash from the 1993 eruption traveled approximately 1,500 km to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was reportedly detected as far as São Paulo, Brazil.

Pyroclastic flows during the 1993 eruption extended 8.5 km from the summit and were hot enough to partially weld in their proximal deposits.

Láscar stands at 5,592 m (18,346 ft) in one of the driest environments on Earth — the Atacama Desert receives less than 100 mm of rain per year at these elevations.

The volcano has six overlapping summit craters, documenting a complex history of repeated crater formation and collapse.

Láscar consists of two distinct edifices — an older eastern volcano (Aguas Calientes) and the currently active western cone.

No fatalities have been recorded from any of Láscar's eruptions, primarily due to its extreme remoteness in the high Atacama Desert.

The 1993 eruption column reached an estimated 22–25 km altitude, penetrating well into the stratosphere.

Activity at Láscar has migrated between eastern and western edifices over the past ~26,500 years, a pattern of vent migration seen at other complex volcanic centers.

The Atacameño village of Talabre, the closest settlement at ~15 km, received heavy ashfall during the 1993 eruption but was spared pyroclastic flows.

Láscar's eruptions in the ultra-dry Atacama produce minimal lahar hazard — a rarity among active volcanoes worldwide.