Carran-Los Venados

Geography & Climate

Carran-Los Venados is located in Chile, within the Southern Andean Volcanic Arc of the broader South America Volcanic Regions. Situated at 40.35° S, 72.07° W in the Southern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a temperate climate zone. With a summit elevation of 1,114 meters above sea level, Carran-Los Venados is a moderately sized peak that remains accessible to hikers and researchers for much of the year. The volcanic landform is characterized as a cluster, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Carran-Los Venados sits in a subduction zone, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another, creating intense heat and pressure that generates magma. Subduction zones are responsible for many of the world's most explosive volcanoes and deadliest eruptions. For communities in Chile near Carran-Los Venados, this tectonic setting means the volcano is capable of producing powerful explosive eruptions, pyroclastic flows, and lahars that can threaten populated areas within tens of kilometers of the summit. The dominant rock type is basalt / picro-basalt, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that forms from rapidly cooling, low-viscosity lava. Basaltic eruptions tend to be less explosive and produce fluid lava flows that can travel long distances. While less immediately dangerous than explosive eruptions, basaltic lava flows can destroy structures and infrastructure in their path, and volcanic gases released during these eruptions can affect air quality over a wide area.

Eruption History Summary

Carran-Los Venados has 3 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 1907 CE to 1979 CE. The most powerful recorded event was a cataclysmic eruption with ash columns reaching the stratosphere in 1955 CE, reaching VEI 4 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. Notable eruptions include 1955 CE (VEI 4), 1907 CE (VEI 3). These eruptions span roughly 72 years of volcanic history. The most recent eruption in 1979 CE places this volcano within the modern era of volcanological observation.

Significance

With a maximum recorded VEI of 4, Carran-Los Venados has demonstrated the capacity for significant explosive eruptions that can impact regional aviation, agriculture, and communities tens of kilometers from the summit. VEI 4 eruptions produce ash columns reaching 15-25 kilometers into the atmosphere. Given its recent activity, Carran-Los Venados is closely monitored by geological survey organizations to provide early warning of future unrest.

GVP Reference Summary

The Carrán-Los Venados volcano group includes about 50 basaltic to basaltic andesite scoria cones, maars, and a small stratovolcano that are broadly aligned along a 17-km-long ENE-WSW trend ESE of Lago Ranco. The volcanic features occupy a low-lying area N of the more topographically prominent Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic chain, and many of the vents are postglacial in age. The Mirador scoria cone and two maars, Riñinahue and Carrán, were formed during eruptions in the 20th century. These historical eruptions were concentrated where the regional Liquine-Ofqui fault zone intersects the alignment of volcanic vents.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program