Ojos del Salado is a stratovolcano in the Andes on the border of Argentina-Chile. It is the highest active volcano on Earth, the second highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere and the highest in Chile. It is located about 600 km north of Aconcagua (6962 m), the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere.

Due to its location near the Atacama desert, the mountain has very dry conditions with snow only remaining on the peak during winter. The ascent is mostly a hike except for the final section to the summit which is a difficult scramble that may require ropes.

Although there have been no recorded eruptions, active fumaroles can be found around the summit crater. It is therefore classified as an active volcano.

The first ascent was made in 1937 by Jan Alfred Szczepański and Justyn Wojsznis, members of Polish andinist expedition.

Elevation

There are slight variations in the given elevation. The elevation given on this page is the official Chilean elevation. Recent hand held GPS surveys put it at 6900-6905m. There have been no high precision surveys. Contrary to widely reproduced claims made by Argentine authorities in 1994, which still appear in some maps, publications and websites, Ojos del Salado is about 100m higher that nearby Monte Pissis (6795m).

External links

• http://www.andes.org.uk/andes-information-files/6000m-peaks.htm
• http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=8569
• http://www.summitpost.org/show/mountain_link.pl/mountain_id/126
• http://www.peaklist.org/WWsurveys/SA/ojos.html

Active volcanoes | Mountains of Chile | Volcanoes of Chile | Mountains of Argentina | Volcanoes of Argentina

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