Lonquimay (volcano)
Lonquimay from the south
The Lonquimay is an active volcano between the national protected areas Reserva Nacional Malalcahuello and Reserva Nacional Nalcas in the northeast of Araucania in Chile. To the south is the village of Malalcahuello through which the international mountain pass CH -181 leads to Argentina. The village is located 21 km Lonquimay in a southeasterly direction.
The volcano is surrounded by the volcanoes Tolhuaca ( 2806 m) in the north and the Sierra Nevada ( 2550 m ) and Llaima ( 3125 m) in the south.
Geography
The active volcano is a cone mountain with a truncated elliptical crater with a diameter of about 700 meters. It consists mostly of andesite, basalt and dacite.
The southern flank covered a narrow glacier on a stretch of about 30 acres. Eruptions took place in 1853, 1887, 1889, 1933 and 1940. During the last eruption, which began on 25th December 1988 and lasted for two years, the so-called Christmas crater ( Crater Navidad ) formed northeast of the main crater. To water, which feeds the Río Cautín collects on the mountain slopes.
Way to the summit
The climb to the Lonquimay via the southeast slope. The starting point is the refuge of ski center Corralco to around 1,600 meters above sea level, which leads to a gravel road and one at the register and must pay a fee for the climb. The climb is initially easy to deal with, in the upper third but ash and debris make it difficult to slip resistance. At the summit heights needed.
Flora and Fauna
The area around the volcano is dominated by Araucaria forests (Araucaria araucana). In addition, the Chile cedar ( Austrocedrus chilensis ), the Plum Steineibe ( Prumnopitys andina ), the Canelo tree ( Drimys winteri ), which found lenga southern beech ( Nothofagus pumilio ) and the coihue southern beech ( Nothofagus dombeyi ).
To be encountered in the National Park Malalcahuello animals include the Argentine Kamp Fuchs ( Pseudalopex griseus ), the Andean condor ( Vultur gryphus ), the Magellan Woodpecker ( Campephilus magellanicus ), the Chilean budgerigar ( Enicognatus leptorhynchus ) and the puma (Felis concolor).