Volcan Lascar ( 5628 m o.s.l )

in deutsch

The strato volcan Lascar presents five inside laying craters in the summit region. The active crater is centered nearly in the middle of the summit with a diameter of nearly 800m and after the collapse of the dome in 1994, 300 m deep. The east crater has inside a plateau which measured nearly one kilometer and so far you can get the impression that a little village has enough place. The plateau is hemed halfly with 200 - 300 m high vertical walls. Greyish and red ash is covering the bottom and the sourrounding 'new land' abroad the mighty pumice flows from the 1993 eruption and latest activities. You can see the NE pumice stream of a 2-3m thick layer on the left photo in the center going down to the right. The Lascar is the most active volcano in the Central Andes.

The Northeast ascent route

GPS-DATAS and ROAD MAP

Ascent over pumice and ash

In approximately 4-5 km distance of the summit crater we discovered an impact of  4-5 m diameters. The ballistic curve of this andesitic ejection ended here probably in the final phase of the large outbreak in the year 1993. During the ascent I counted up to twenty such impacts. Becoming aclimatized since three weeks over 4000 m the ascent was relatively easy. The area in the pumice stone areal was as well accessible. At the end the very steep !! ash fields were however a toilsome affair.

         

  Camp on 4900 m, Müller, Zeller, Pusch On the slopes of the east crater / Impact: Background Zeller  

On the top. The height of the crater walls are 300m 

The plateau in the East crater

Lascars most active place

View from the South rim (5550m ) into the youngest crater, which shows a strong fumarole activity. The dense and aggressive gases avoided a view into the crater base but we guess that it must get down more than 300m. 

 

Photo by Th.Pusch  

This afternoon image  (5 pm),  shows the Lascar with the seasonal daily summit thunder storm which was covering the top with a big cloud.

     

Volcan Lascar  ( over 'Sattel', alt 5350m o.s.l), This was a phenomenal view to the North. In the background on the very left the Volcan Licancabur  5916 m (distance 60 km). Here more than 30 volcanos like the Licancabur are standing majestetic over the Atacama dessert.

        

 

Around Lascar

A great neighbour, Volcan Aguas Caliente

Volcan Aguas Caliente  (5813m o.s.l)  from the east rim (5500mo.s.l). The chaotic weather conditions made it nearly impossible to climb a summit more than 5900m.

        

Without a outdoor car you have no chance to get to the base of the volcano

go further to

Geysers el Tatio      Salar de Uyuni

 Etna    Stromboli    Volcano world     Cinema

From Etna to Stromboli     Planets & Space

Photos by Thorsten Pusch and Th. Boeckel, GPS dates from M. Zeller and F. Mueller