Lesson plan
Acotango
Acotango is the central and highest of a group of stratovolcanoes straddling the border of Bolivia and Chile. It is high. The group is known as Kimsa Chata and consists of three mountains: Acotango, Umurata ( ) north of it and Capurata ( ) south of it. The group lies along a north–south alignment. The Acotango volcano is heavily eroded, but a lava flow on its northern flank is morphologically young, suggesting Acotango was active in the Holocene. Later research has suggested that lava flow may be of Pleistocene age. Argon-argon dating has yielded ages of 192,000±8,000 and 241,000±27,000 years on dacites from Acotango. Glacial activity has exposed parts of the inner volcano, which is hydrothermally altered. Glacial moraines lie at an altitude of but a present ice cap is only found past of altitude. The volcano is a popular hiking route in the Sajama National Park and Lauca National Park. It is on the border of two provinces: Chilean province of Parinacota and Bolivian province of Sajama. Its slopes are within the administrative boundaries of two cities: Chilean commune of Putre and Bolivian commune of Turco. To climb the summit from the Chilean side is dangerous due to land mines, however it is relatively safe to climb the summit from the Bolivian side. The southern ascent starts over a glacier and passes an abandoned copper mine.
Article summary
Acotango is the central and highest of a group of stratovolcanoes straddling the border of Bolivia and Chile. It is high. The group is known as Kimsa Chata and consists of three mountains: Acotango, Umurata ( ) north of it and Capurata ( ) south of it. The group lies along a north–south alignment. The Acotango volcano is heavily eroded, but a lava flow on its northern flank is morphologically young, suggesting Acotango was active in the Holocene. Later research has suggested that lava flow may be of Pleistocene age. Argon-argon dating has yielded ages of 192,000±8,000 and 241,000±27,000 years on dacites from Acotango. Glacial activity has exposed parts of the inner volcano, which is hydrothermally altered. Glacial moraines lie at an altitude of but a present ice cap is only found past of altitude. The volcano is a popular hiking route in the Sajama National Park and Lauca National Park. It is on the border of two provinces: Chilean province of Parinacota and Bolivian province of Sajama. Its slopes are within the administrative boundaries of two cities: Chilean commune of Putre and Bolivian commune of Turco. To climb the summit from the Chilean side is dangerous due to land mines, however it is relatively safe to climb the summit from the Bolivian side. The southern ascent starts over a glacier and passes an abandoned copper mine.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.