Ojos del Salado, Dormant volcano on the Chile–Argentina border
Nevado Ojos del Salado is a dormant complex volcano on the Argentina–Chile border, reaching 6,893 metres, the highest volcano on Earth and Chile's highest peak. Its upper reaches consist of overlapping dacitic lava domes, lava flows and more than 20 craters, with sparse ice in the crevices of the loose, jagged rubble.
Polish climbers Jan Alfred Szczepański and Justyn Wojsznis became the first to reach the summit in February 1937. Decades later, expeditions sparked interest in archaeological discoveries near the peak, possibly indicating ceremonial use by the Inca.
The name refers to the Río Salado, the salty river that a 1937 Polish expedition followed to reach the mountain; in Chile and Argentina, ojo commonly denotes a spring or water source. The massif has two summits, the eastern or Argentine and the western or Chilean, each named for the country from which it is more easily reached.
Two shelters at 5,100 meters and 5,750 meters offer resting points for climbers attempting the ascent between October and May. The extremely thin air at this altitude makes gradual acclimatization essential before approaching the summit.
The permanent crater lake east of the main summit lies at 6,480–6,500 metres, the highest lake of any kind on Earth. The summit itself is split into two rock towers about 50–60 metres apart with a 30-metre-deep gap; a 2003 Argentine survey found the western, Chilean tower 54 ± 5 cm higher.
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