Maipo is a
stratovolcanoA stratovolcano, sometimes called a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano with many layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash. Stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions. The lava that flows from stratovolcanoes tends to be viscous; it...
in the
AndesThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
, lying on the border between
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
and
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It is located 90 km (55 miles) south of
TupungatoTupungato, one of the highest mountains in South America, is a massive stratovolcano dating to Pleistocene times. It lies on the border between Chile and the , near a major international highway about 80 km east of Santiago, Chile...
and about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of
SantiagoSantiago , is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the centre of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of 520 m AMSL...
.
Maipo retains a symmetrical, conical volcanic shape, unlike many of the other nearby peaks, making it the best known peak in the region, though it is not the highest. (Nearby Castillo is 5,485 m high.) Maipo is also almost the southernmost 5,000 metre peak in the Andes.
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Maipo is a
stratovolcanoA stratovolcano, sometimes called a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano with many layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash. Stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions. The lava that flows from stratovolcanoes tends to be viscous; it...
in the
AndesThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
, lying on the border between
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
and
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It is located 90 km (55 miles) south of
TupungatoTupungato, one of the highest mountains in South America, is a massive stratovolcano dating to Pleistocene times. It lies on the border between Chile and the , near a major international highway about 80 km east of Santiago, Chile...
and about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of
SantiagoSantiago , is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the centre of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of 520 m AMSL...
.
Maipo retains a symmetrical, conical volcanic shape, unlike many of the other nearby peaks, making it the best known peak in the region, though it is not the highest. (Nearby Castillo is 5,485 m high.) Maipo is also almost the southernmost 5,000 metre peak in the Andes. (That honor goes to Sosneado, about 50 km to the south).
Maipo is located within the Diamante Caldera, a feature of about 15 km by 20 km size that is about one-half million years old. It rises about 1,900 m (6,230 ft) above the floor of the caldera. Immediately to the east of the peak, on the eastern side of the caldera floor, is
Laguna del DiamanteLaguna del Diamante is a lake located in the province of Mendoza, Argentina, in the San Carlos Department, some 198 km from Mendoza. It covers a surface area of about 14.1 km² and is one of the largest freshwater resources in the Province. Nearby is Maipo volcano...
, a picturesque lake that formed when lava flows blocked drainage channels from the caldera in 1826.
The region's climate is transitional between the drier Mediterranean climate of the peaks to the north and the cold, moist climate of Chilean
PatagoniaPatagonia is a geographic region containing the southernmost portion of South America. Located in Argentina and Chile, it comprises the southernmost portion of the Andes mountains to the west and south, and plateaux and low plains to the east. The name Patagonia comes from the word patagón used by...
. Hence, while less glaciated than Patagonia, it has more permanent snow (on the wet, Chilean side) than peaks of similar elevation to the north.