Yucamane, Stratovolcano in Tacna Region, Peru

Yucamane is an andesitic stratovolcano built mainly of lava flows 20 to 50 metres thick, with subordinate pyroclastic deposits. Its summit holds a crater about 800 metres wide, inside which sits a second crater 300 metres across and roughly 120 metres deep. A lower, gentler Yucamane I underlies the steeper Yucamane II.

Yucamane is a Pleistocene andesitic stratovolcano built mainly by lava flows with subordinate pyroclastic deposits. Its last dated eruption occurred around 1320 BCE, and whether historical eruptions took place is unclear because some eruptions attributed to Yucamane probably occurred at Tutupaca instead. The volcano was active in the Pleistocene, while Holocene explosive eruptions struck Yucamane proper and effusive eruptions occurred at Calientes.

Inca tradition held that Yucamane and the nearby volcano Tutupaca were brothers who fought over a woman, hurling fireballs for days and nights until both were turned to stone. Villages such as Cairani, Huanuara and Ticaco farm the lower slopes, and sulfur was mined on the mountain in the past.

Access is provided by the international Ilo-Desaguadero highway that runs past the volcano and serves the region. The nearby town of Candarave lies a short distance to the southwest and serves as the closest settlement in the area.

The volcano releases fumaroles from its summit crater, and the surrounding waters naturally contain arsenic from the rocks. This arsenic-bearing water flows through the river system into the Locumba River and shapes the hydrochemistry of this southern Andean area.