| South Volcanic Zone |
| Southern Volcanic Zone |
| Volcanic arc |
|
|
| Countries |
Argentina, Chile |
| Provinces/Regions |
Santiago Metropolitan Region, O'Higgins Region, Maule Region, Biobío Region, Araucanía Region, Los Ríos Region, Los Lagos Region, Aysén Region, Mendoza Province, Neuquén Province, Río Negro Province |
|
| Highest point |
Tupungato |
| - elevation |
6,570 m (21,555 ft) |
|
|
|
The South Volcanic Zone (SVZ), or Andean Southern Volcanic Zone, is a volcanic arc in southwestern South America. It is one of the four volcanic zones of the Andes. The SVZ extends roughly from Central Chile's Andes at the latitude of Santiago, at ca. 33°S, to Mount Hudson in Aysén Region at ca. 46°S, a distance of well over 870 mi (1,400 km). The arc has formed due to subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate along the Peru-Chile Trench. The northern boundary of the SVZ is marked by the flat-slab subduction of the Juan Fernández Ridge, which has produced a volcanic gap called the Pampean flat-slab segment in the Norte Chico region since the late Miocene. The southern end of the SVZ is marked by the Chile Triple Junction where the Chile Rise subducts under South America at the Taitao Peninsula giving origin to the Patagonian Volcanic Gap. Further south lies the Austral Volcanic Zone.
Eight volcanoes of the SVZ (Chaiten, Cordón Caulle, Lonquimay, Llaima, Villarrica, Mocho-Choshuenco, Osorno and Calbuco) are being monitored by the Southern Andean Volcano Observatory (OVDAS) based in Temuco. In recent years, there have been major eruptions at Llaima (most recently in 2008-9), and Chaiten (2008-9).
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