Putana, Stratovolcano in Sur Lípez Province, Bolivia and El Loa Province, Chile

Putana is a stratovolcano on the Bolivia–Chile border, elongated north to south and built from lavas and pyroclastic material. Its 500-metre-wide summit crater holds two smaller craters, 300 and 130 metres across, with lava domes and flows on the southern part of the main crater floor.

Putana's eruptive record is poorly known; a major eruption was reported around 1810, with a date uncertainty of about ten years, and further reports of activity or stronger fumaroles exist for 1886, 1960 and 1972, though some scientists doubt any historical eruption. Between late 2009 and early 2010 earthquake swarms accompanied an intrusion of roughly 300,000 cubic metres of magma at about 1 km depth, lifting the ground some 4 cm.

The name Putana also appears as Jorqencal, Jorjencal or Machuca, and in Spanish it coincides with the word for a prostitute. Sulfur deposited by the summit fumaroles was mined, and the gas plume rising 100 to 500 metres above the crater was already noted in the 19th century.

The site is best approached by four-wheel-drive vehicle from San Pedro de Atacama, with the May to October dry season offering the most favorable conditions. The journey is demanding and requires proper preparation for high altitude and remote terrain.

The fumarole plume rises 100 to 500 metres above the summit and was already observed in the 19th century. Sulfur deposited by the fumaroles has been mined, and the vents range from a few centimetres to 10 metres wide.