Life is like an adventure. Ojos del Salado Volcano: "Salty Eyes Crater Ojos del Salado Volcano

  • 19.11.2021

It is a stratovolcano, that is, it consists of many layers of solidified lava and volcanic ash ejected by the mountain during effusive and explosive eruptions. Although classified as “active,” Ojos del Salado has not erupted in over a thousand years. Some researchers call it extinct, but from time to time it still shows signs of activity.

Climbers and outdoor enthusiasts are constantly drawn to Ojos del Salado. Many rush to it in order to conquer these more than 6,890 meters above sea level and experience an exciting adventure.

Interestingly, this beautiful mountain has magnificent lakes. The overall landscape of the area is phenomenal.

Photo: Adventure International

Photo: Maximilliano Martinez E.

Photo: Equator Trekking

It will take just over a week to reach the glorious summit of Ojos del Salado, but the journey is worth it. Climbers not only climb heights and admire magnificent landscapes. Travelers here meet many exotic birds and other animals. Pink flamingos and friendly ducks thrive near the lagoons.

Photo: Equator Trekking

The lagoons of Ojos del Salado are well worth the effort, even if you are not an experienced climber.

The volcano actually got its name due to its lagoons: Ojos del Salado translated from Spanish means "salty eyes". The water in the lakes that resemble the organs of sight is clean and transparent, with an alluring green tint. These bodies of water were created by huge salt deposits that formed inside the glaciers.

Photo: Equator Trekking

Temperatures near Ojos del Salado can drop significantly, sometimes as low as -25 degrees Celsius. There is a chance to see geese or humpback camels guanacos at a refreshing watering hole.

These lagoons are perhaps the highest in the world, some of them over 4000 meters above sea level. Laguna Verde is the most popular and well-preserved lake in the area. Plus, this reservoir has natural thermal springs that heat the water. Here travelers are provided with a pleasant swimming experience, which will add impressions to the mountain adventures.

Photo: Devon Brown

Photo:

The peak of Ojos del Salado is one of the highest in the middle part of the watershed ridge of the Andes mountain system, which for a long time retained the status of an "extinct volcano" due to the fact that the last volcanic eruption occurred 1300 years ago. Its slopes are covered with solidified lava. Since then, there has been no historical record of his activity. But in 1937 and 1956. The volcano manifested itself in the form of small emissions of sulfur and steam, in 1993 there was a minor eruption in the form of ash. By the presence of fumaroles on the mountain, it can be safely classified as “active”. This stratovolcano has a complex structure. In its ancient destroyed shield is a younger cone, which appeared in the post-glacial period.

Now this Argentine-Chilean border volcano is considered the highest active volcano in the world.

The summit of the volcano, the height of which is indicated in various sources as 6893 m, is located on the side of Argentina. Although there is no completely accurate information about the altitude, and according to various sources, its range ranges from 6880 to 7057 m. The summit from Chile is one of the best places in this country for mountaineering. Nearby is the city of Copiapo, where mountaineering groups are formed (a favorable time for climbing from November to March). By the way, the volcano was first conquered in 1937 by Polish climbers. During further exploration of the volcano, sacrificial altars of the Indians of the era were discovered when the Incas considered the mountain divine and sacred, bringing sacrifices to it.

With regard to the location of the volcano, it is a unique place that combines the conditions of the desert and intense green lagoons and snow-capped peaks contrasting with its color. In these lagoons, large flocks of flamingos, horned coots, many ducks, foxes and guanacos can be seen, which have adapted to survive in this environment with night temperatures of 25 C and winds of over 130 km per hour.

To the west of the volcano stretches the driest desert of the planet Atacama, so its western slopes are dry and deserted. A lot of precipitation falls on the eastern side of the volcano, and tropical forests grow here up to an altitude of 3000 m. Snow lies at an altitude of over 5000 m. In the crater of the volcano, on the eastern side, at an altitude of 6390 m above sea level, lies the highest lake in the world. On the sandy expanses of the volcano, especially large deposits of table salt, as well as iodine, copper, and saltpeter were found. Apparently, therefore, its name in translation from Spanish means "salty springs" or "salty eyes".

Well, the most memorable moment in the history of the volcano can be considered the conquest of the 6688 m mark in a Suzuki SJ by one Chilean athlete in 2007, whose record was entered in the Guinness Book of Records.

Climbing Ojos del Salado is very popular with climbers all over the world. It is especially pleasant to climb in good weather and good acclimatization, and the reward for this is an unforgettable fantastic view of the surroundings.

(G) (I) Coordinates: 27 ° 06'34 ″ S NS. 68 ° 32′32 ″ W etc. /  27.10944 ° S NS. 68.54222 ° W etc./ -27.10944; -68.54222(G) (I) CountryChile Chile

Mountain systemAndes Ridge or arrayCentral Andean highlands Volcano shapeStratovolcano

The last eruption700 ± 300 years

Top height6887 m First ascent1937 (Justin Voiznis and Jan Szczepanski)

The volcano is considered extinct, since during the entire history of observations of it, not a single eruption has been recorded. However, occasionally passive volcanic activity was still noticed. So, in, and 1993 there were insignificant emissions of sulfur and water vapor.

The volcano was conquered in 1937 by Polish climbers Justin Wojnis and Jan Szczepanski. On the way to the top, the researchers discovered traces of the sacrificial altars of the Incas. Apparently, the volcano Ojos del Salado was revered by the Indians as a sacred mountain.

On April 21, 2007, the Chilean athlete Gonzalo Bravo managed to ride a modified Suzuki Samurai ( Suzuki sj) climb the slope of Ojos del Salado to a height of 6,688 meters, thus setting a world climb record for cars.

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Excerpt from Ojos del Salado

And at the same time, immediately after the battle, on the next morning, the French army (due to the impetuous force of the movement, now increased, as it were, in the inverse ratio of the squares of distances) was already advancing by itself on the Russian army. Kutuzov wanted to attack the next day, and the whole army wanted this. But in order to attack, the desire to do so is not enough; it is necessary that there was an opportunity to do this, but this opportunity was not. It was impossible not to retreat to one transition, then in the same way it was impossible not to retreat to another and to a third transition, and finally on September 1, when the army approached Moscow, despite all the strength of the rising feelings in the ranks of the troops, the strength of things demanded so that these troops go beyond Moscow. And the troops retreated one more, to the last transition and gave Moscow to the enemy.
For those people who are accustomed to thinking that plans for wars and battles are drawn up by commanders in the same way that each of us, sitting in his office over a map, makes considerations about how and how he would order in such and such a battle, questions arise as to why Kutuzov did not act this way when retreating, why did not he take up the position before Filia, why he did not immediately retreat to the Kaluga road, left Moscow, etc. People who are accustomed to think so forget or do not know those inevitable conditions in which the activity of every commander-in-chief always takes place. The activity of the commander has not the slightest resemblance to the activity that we imagine to ourselves, sitting freely in the office, sorting out some kind of campaign on a map with a known number of troops, from one side and the other, and in a certain area, and starting our considerations with what of some known moment. The commander-in-chief is never in those conditions of the beginning of an event, in which we always consider the event. The commander-in-chief is always in the middle of a moving series of events, and so that never, at any moment, is he in a position to ponder the entire meaning of the event taking place. The event is imperceptible, moment by moment, carved into its meaning, and at every moment of this sequential, continuous cutting out of the event, the commander-in-chief is at the center of a complex game, intrigue, worries, dependence, power, projects, advice, threats, deceptions, is constantly in the need to answer to the innumerable number of questions offered to him, always contradicting one another.
Scientists in the military tell us that Kutuzov had to move troops to the Kaluga road much earlier than Filay, that even someone proposed such a project. But before the commander-in-chief, especially in difficult times, there is not one project, but always dozens at a time. And each of these projects, based on strategy and tactics, contradicts one another. It would seem that the commander-in-chief's business is only to choose one of these projects. But even this he cannot do. Events and time do not wait. He is offered, let's say, on the 28th to go to the Kaluga road, but at this time Miloradovich's adjutant comes and asks whether to tie up business with the French or retreat. He must now, this very minute, give the order. And the order to retreat knocks us off the turn onto the Kaluga road. And following the adjutant, the quartermaster asks where to take the provisions, and the head of the hospitals - where to take the wounded; and a courier from St. Petersburg brings a letter from the sovereign, which does not allow the possibility of leaving Moscow, and the rival of the commander-in-chief, the one who breaks down under him (there are always such, and not one, but several), proposes a new project, diametrically opposite to the plan for entering the Kaluga road; and the forces of the commander-in-chief himself require sleep and reinforcement; and a rewarding venerable general comes to complain, and the inhabitants beg for protection; an officer sent to inspect the area arrives and reports exactly the opposite of what the sent officer said before him; and the spy, the prisoner and the general who made the reconnaissance - all describe differently the position of the enemy army. People who are accustomed not to understand or forget these necessary conditions for the activity of any commander-in-chief, present to us, for example, the position of the troops in Fili and at the same time assume that the commander-in-chief could, on September 1, completely freely resolve the issue of abandoning or defending Moscow, whereas in the situation of the Russian army five versts from Moscow this question could not have been. When was this issue resolved? And at Drissa, and at Smolensk, and most noticeably on the 24th at Shevardin, and on the 26th at Borodino, and on every day, and hour, and minute of retreat from Borodino to Filia.

AlexClimb Rule # 1 - Safety Priority

From the very beginning of our activity, for almost 16 years, the first Principle of the MCS AlexClimb Mountaineering and Climbing School is Safety Priority. The entire learning process is built on the basis of this Principle, all programs and tours are developed and carried out exclusively within the framework of this main Principle. We believe that with a professional approach to the development of programs, with personal discipline and correctly set motivation, mountaineering and rock climbing are COMPLETELY safe. And from the opposite - all the troubles and accidents in our sport come from unprofessionalism, from ignorance or neglect of elementary safety standards, from irrational motivation, from overestimating one's own strengths and capabilities. All these prerequisites we COMPLETELY EXCLUDE in our work - our Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing and Mountaineering are based on one Principle - the Priority of Safety. In rock climbing, mountaineering and ice climbing, MCS AlexClimb Safety Priority is your personal safety and comfort, no matter what we do - we train muscles and work out the technique of movement in the gym and on the climbing wall, make our way through a blizzard to the top or relax on the golden sand of the Caribbean beach after a hot day of training on the rocks. Safety priority is the main credo of MCS AlexClimb Mountaineering and Climbing School.

AlexClimb Rule # 2 - Leave No Traces

Working closely with nature, conducting active programs in mountains, forests, rivers and lakes, we perfectly understand the importance of a careful and respectful attitude towards nature and its resources. From the very beginning of our outdoor activity, we have adopted the Leave No Trace technique - the standard of human behavior in relation to the environment, and especially to the wild, accepted throughout the civilized world. Indeed, in relation to the attitude of people to nature, next to which they exist, one can draw far-reaching conclusions about the attitude of these people to themselves ... Wherever and how we travel - we do not leave behind us any garbage, we try to reduce our influence on the environment to a minimum. We clean up previously contaminated tourist camps from the abandoned garbage, take out and take to the disposal sites what other people left there before us. We believe that only in this way, with the personal individual conscience of every citizen, every tourist, climber or auto-traveler, we will be able to preserve the nature around us in its natural, fit for life state - this is the guarantee of a healthy future for ourselves and our children.

AlexClimb Rule # 3 - Sober Consciousness

The position of the MCS AlexClimb Mountaineering and Climbing School regarding a healthy lifestyle is clear - we believe that only a sober consciousness is able to sincerely experience and sympathize, enjoy life in all its diversity. A bright and fulfilling life is possible only if absolute sobriety and purity of consciousness are observed. Any drugs that cloud our perception of reality are designed to harm our consciousness and physical health, replace true values ​​with false ones, destroy us as people - turn us into a flabby, powerless, meaningless, gray herd with dull eyes. We do not impose our point of view on anyone, everyone has the opportunity to make their own choice. But inside our School we secretly accept a very specific, very simple set of rules: no alcohol, no drugs.

Ojos del Salado -
highest acting
volcano in the world

Of course, when we say "the highest", we do not mean the height and majesty of the cone (the relative elevation of the volcano above the environment). Just like in the case of the highest mountain in the world, we are talking about an absolute altitude.

Border view(la frontera - border) Chilean-Argentine volcano
Ojos del Salado from the side of the Atacama Desert

For a long time, Argentine Llullaillaco (according to various sources - from 6723 to 6739 m), located in the Andes at 25 ° S, appeared in reference books as a volcano - the world record holder for ascent to the heavens. and 69 ° W, at the very Chilean border. This volcano erupted more than once in human memory - in 1854, 1868 and 1877. Therefore, no one doubted that it was an active volcano. And of the undoubtedly active ones, he is the highest.

There are, of course, many mountains of volcanic origin much higher, but these are volcanoes considered as dormant or extinct. The Chilean volcano Ojos del Salado (6891 m), also located in the Andes, near the Chilean-Argentine border, was also considered such. The last eruption of this volcano, as is commonly believed, was about 1300 years ago and has not been recorded by human memory.

Meanwhile, in 1993, Ojos del Salado emitted a small ash emission. In the crater, fumaroles were found - outlets of jets of volcanic gases and steam. This made it possible to revise the "status" of the volcano and "retrain" it into active ones. It is currently considered the tallest active volcano in the world. Perhaps to the delight of many schoolchildren and even other teachers, for whom to say "Llullaillaco" is a sheer punishment.

Ojos del Salado holds several more records. This is the highest point in Chile. This is the second (according to the measurement of 6891 m), after Aconcagua (located 600 kilometers to the south), the top of America and the entire Western Hemisphere. There is one more strong record - here lies (or bet "t?) The highest lake on Earth. Generally speaking, there is not much moisture here: the mountain stands on the edge of the Atacama Desert. Therefore, even a permanent snow cap does not form on the summit (only in winter). But in the crater, at an altitude of 6390 m, there is a permanent lake with a diameter of about 100 m. The highest water lying on the earth's firmament.

The volcanic cone of Ojos del Salado itself, of course, does not have a 6-7-kilometer height. But still not small. It rises above the base at about 2000 m. The coordinates of the highest active volcano in the world are 27 ° S, 69 ° W. Translated from Spanish, Ojos del Salado means "salty springs".

The first ascent to the record-breaking volcano was made in 1937 (Poles). In 2007, the Chileans climbed the volcano in a special vehicle up to a height of 6688 m (included in the Guinness Book of Records).

There are no perfectly accurate measurements. According to various sources, the height of Ojos del Salado is determined in the range from 6880 to 7057 m (the last estimate made by the Argentines and even on some geographical maps is considered unreliable).

The mountain belongs to Chile only half. The border is almost at the highest point. But only almost. It distinguishes two peaks, one of which is called "Chilean Peak", and the other - "Argentine Peak". Chilean is slightly higher. Therefore, the volcano is recorded as a record holder for Chile.

The frozen lava is clearly visible on the slopes. Her exact age is unclear. Some sources even claim that some kind of eruption took place in 1929, but no one noticed in this uninhabited area.