Volcanoes by country

Bolivia

Volcanoes in Bolivia

Map, activity and eruption history

The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 7 volcanoes in Bolivia. This page brings together the map, report status, eruption history and the surroundings of every single volcano. None of them currently has a running eruption report.

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Earthquakes · Bolivia
With a current report
None No current eruption report
Volcanoes in the catalogue
7
Documented eruptions
9
Highest volcano
6,336 mParinacota
Last documented eruption
1995Irruputuncu

Map

Volcano map of Bolivia

Every volcano in the country with plate boundaries, air traffic within 50 km, airports and nuclear power plants. Earthquakes can be added on top.

Map layers

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Markers show the catalogue position of a volcano, not the extent of a hazard zone. Plate boundaries after Bird (2003), PB2002.

All volcanoes in Bolivia

Sorted by report status and elevation. Every entry opens the full volcano profile.

Volcano catalogue
  1. Parinacota No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    6,336 m
    Last eruption
    290
    Eruptions
    6
  2. Sairecabur No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    5,961 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  3. Licancabur No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    5,916 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  4. Olca-Paruma No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    5,705 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    1
  5. Guayaques No current eruption report
    Type
    Lava dome
    Elevation
    5,598 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  6. Tata Sabaya No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    5,430 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  7. Irruputuncu No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    5,163 m
    Last eruption
    1995
    Eruptions
    2

“Last eruption” is a catalogue record, not evidence of activity in progress.

Significant volcanic eruptions in Bolivia

Eruptions with fatalities, damage or high explosivity from the NOAA NCEI database of significant volcanic eruptions.

The NOAA NCEI database lists no eruption of this category for Bolivia.

Explosivity of the documented eruptions

VEI · 2

VEI 0
0
VEI 1
0
VEI 2
1
VEI 3
0
VEI 4
1
VEI 5
0
VEI 6
0

The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) runs from 0 (effusive) to 8 (super-eruptive). Each step stands for roughly ten times the erupted mass.

Eruptions per century

1800–1899
1
1900–1999
2

Documented eruptions since 1500. Earlier centuries are recorded less completely, so a rise also reflects better observation.

Earthquakes near volcanoes – Bolivia

12 events in the last 30 days within 50 km of a volcano in Bolivia.

Earthquakes · Bolivia

Spatial proximity does not establish a volcanic origin. Many events in volcanic regions are tectonic.

Tectonic setting and volcano types

What the volcanic landscape of Bolivia is made of and which tectonic setting it sits in.

Tectonic setting

  • Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)7

Most common volcano types

  • Stratovolcano6
  • Lava dome1

Infrastructure within 100 km

Airports with scheduled service and nuclear power plant sites near a volcano in Bolivia.

No site from the included datasets lies within this radius.

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts.

Volcanoes in profile – Bolivia

Short descriptions of the country's best-known volcanoes.

Parinacota

Stratovolcano · 6,336 m · Last eruption: 290

Parinacota, Parina Quta or Parinaquta is a dormant stratovolcano on the border of Bolivia and Chile. Together with Pomerape it forms the Nevados de Payachata volcanic chain. Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, its summit reaches an elevation of 6,380 metres (20,930 ft) above sea level. The symmetrical cone is capped by a summit crater with widths of 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) or 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Farther down on the southern slopes lie three parasitic centres known as the Ajata cones. These cones have generated lava flows. The volcano overlies a platform formed by lava domes and andesitic lava flows.

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Sairecabur

Stratovolcano · 5,961 m · Last eruption: Not available

Cerro Colorado is a stratovolcano that lies in northern Chile about 7 km (4 mi) west of the border with Bolivia and approximately the same distance southwest of the Putana Volcano. Cerro Colorado is located immediately west of Cerro Curiquinca and northwest of volcán Escalante ; all three mountains are considered to be part of the Sairecabur volcanic group.

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Licancabur

Stratovolcano · 5,916 m · Last eruption: Not available

Juriques is a stratovolcano on the border between Bolivia and Chile. It is located immediately southeast of Licancabur volcano. Its summit is at 5,704 m (18,714 ft) with a crater 1.5 km (0.93 mi) in its widest diameter. Laguna Verde lies at the foot of this volcano. There are archaeological sites on its summit or its environs.

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Olca-Paruma

Stratovolcano · 5,705 m · Last eruption: Not available

Olca-Paruma is a volcanic complex in Chile. Lying on the border between Chile and Bolivia, it is formed by an east–west alignment of volcanoes. From west to east, these are Cerro Paruma, Volcan Paruma, Olca, and Mencheca or Michincha. Aside from the mines of Ujina, Rosario, and Quebrada Blanca, the area is sparsely populated.

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Guayaques

Lava dome · 5,598 m · Last eruption: Not available

The 10-km-long Guayaques chain of N-S-trending rhyodacitic lava domes runs across the Chile-Bolivia border about 10 km. east of the Cerro Toco - Purico Complex.

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Tata Sabaya

Stratovolcano · 5,430 m · Last eruption: Not available

Tata Sabaya is a 5,430-metre (17,810 ft) high volcano in Bolivia. It is part of the Central Volcanic Zone, one of several volcanic belts in the Andes which are separated by gaps without volcanic activity. This section of the Andes was volcanically active since the Jurassic, with an episode of strong ignimbritic volcanism occurring during the Miocene. Tata Sabaya lies in a thinly populated region north of the Salar de Coipasa salt pan.

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Short descriptions: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions about volcanoes in Bolivia

How many volcanoes are there in Bolivia?
The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 7 volcanoes in Bolivia. It covers volcanoes with eruptions during the last roughly 12,000 years.
Which volcano in Bolivia is the highest?
The highest recorded volcano is Parinacota at 6,336 m.
When was the last documented eruption in Bolivia?
The most recent eruption documented in the catalogue dates from 1995 (Irruputuncu).
Are the volcanoes in Bolivia active?
None of the 7 volcanoes currently has an eruption report. That does not mean they are extinct – source coverage differs from volcano to volcano.
Why does the map show aircraft around volcanoes?
Volcanic ash endangers aircraft engines. The map therefore shows live positions within 50 km of a volcano so that the proximity of air traffic to an active volcano becomes visible.
Where does the data on this page come from?
Catalogue data and eruption history from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, significant eruptions from NOAA NCEI, alert levels and bulletins from USGS, GeoNet and INGV, earthquakes from the QuakeMap24 database, flight positions from ADSB.lol.

Volcanoes in other countries

Countries with at least 5 volcanoes in the catalogue.

All countries with volcanoes

Sources and data dates

Everything shown comes from the public sources listed below and is updated automatically.

QuakeMap24 is not a warning authority. Follow the responsible authorities when making local decisions.