El Misti

El Misti
El Misti
Elevation	5,822 metres (19,101 ft) [1]
Location	Arequipa, Peru
Range	Andes
Prominence	1,785 metres (5,856 ft)
Coordinates	16°17′40″S 71°24′32″W / 16.29444°S 71.40889°W / -16.29444; -71.40889Coordinates: 16°17′40″S 71°24′32″W / 16.29444°S 71.40889°W / -16.29444; -71.40889 [1]
Type	Stratovolcano
Volcanic arc/belt	Central Volcanic Zone
Last eruption	1985
Listing	Ultra

This mosaic of two astronaut photographs illustrates the closeness of Arequipa to El Misti.

El Misti, also known as Guagua-Putina^[2] is a stratovolcano located in southern Peru near the city of Arequipa. With its seasonally snow-capped, symmetrical cone, El Misti stands at 5,822 metres (19,101 ft) above sea level and lies between the mountain Chachani (6,075 m/19,931 ft) and the volcano Pichu-Pichu (5,669 m/18,599 ft). Its last eruption was in 1985.^[1]

El Misti has three concentric craters. In the inner crater fumarole activity can be seen. Near the inner crater six Inca mummies and rare Inca artifacts were found in 1998 during a month-long excavation directed by the archaeologists Johan Reinhard and Jose Antonio Chavez. These findings are currently stored at the Museo de Santuarios Andinos in Arequipa.

There are two main climbing routes on the volcano. The Pastores route, which is more used, as its starting point is nearer to the city of Arequipa, starts in 3,300 metres (10,800 ft). Usually a camp is made in 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) at Nido de Aguilas. The second route, the Aguada Blanca route, starts at 4,000 metres (13,100 ft) near the Aguada Blanca reservoir and a camp is made in 4,800 metres (15,700 ft) at Monte Blanco (the name of the camp comes from the fact that it has more or less the height as the summit of Mont Blanc). Neither climbing routes presents technical difficulties but both are considered strenuous because of the steep loose sand slopes.

See also

• List of volcanoes in Peru

References

Further reading

• Reinhard, Johan (2005). The Ice Maiden: Inca Mummies, Mountain Gods, and Sacred Sites in the Andes. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. ISBN 0-7922-6838-5. 

External links

• "El Misti Volcano and the City of Arequipa, Peru". NASA. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=1109. Retrieved 2008-12-25. 
• "3D-Model Images of the Arequipa Region, Southern Peru". Volcanoes of the Central Andes. University of North Dakota. http://volcano.space.edu/cvz/3dimages.html. Retrieved 2008-12-25. 
• "Ascenso al volcán Misti Arequipa fotos de Peru turismo Peru Fotos". Portal de Arequipa. http://www.todoarequipa.com/fotos/expediciones/ascenso-volcan-misti/. Retrieved 2008-12-25.