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The
park is situated 110 kilometres Southwest of the city of
Mendoza, being the only reservation shared by two
departments: Luján and Tupungato. It was declared a
reservation in 1983, comprising approximately 150000
hectares, and protecting an important sector of the
central Andes. The main purpose for its creation was to
preserve Tupungato Volcano (6,820 metres), with
its eternal snow, and unique mountain environments.
The term Tupungato derives from the Quechua language and
refers to land that flourishes. It is a continuation of
the Aconcagua Park and it has a similar environment. The
park rangers’ base is located in the Santa Clara Refuge.
Landscape and Geology
The area encompasses two major structures: the Main
Range and the Frontal Range, respectively located West
and East of the longitudinal valley of the
Tupungato River, which virtually separates them. At the
oriental foot of the mountain Cordón del Plata there is
an area known as pedemontana (the foothills). The Front
Range is connected in its Eastern side to the Main Range,
and it to the South of Diamante River.
With heights reaching up to 5000 or 6000 metres above
sea level, it is a very solid old body penetrated by
granitic bodies and other igneous rocks. The Division of
the high Andes in Main and Frontal Range, is more
geological than biological because all orographic
elements are closely interrelated, being separated only
by the longitudinal deep valleys of rivers such as
Tupungato between the two ridges and the Uspallata valley and between the Frontal and Pre-ridge ranges.
Two major rivers collect the water from the volcanic
mass Cerro Tupungato: Northwards the Tupungato River and Southwards the Tunuyán River, in addition, there are the
rivers Las Tunas and Anchayuyo, draining the water from
the Frontal Range to the Tunuyán River through the
plains at the foothills.
The hydrographic network is fed almost exclusively from
the melting of ice and snow; a large portion of its flow
goes underground in the foothills, and this water
creates the supplies of groundwater. This is one of the
most important functions of this park, preserve the
freshwater sources. The oldest rocks in the region form
the crystalline basis (as its name indicates the basis
of Pre Cambrian age, which has been folded and heavily
modified by pressure and temperature, i.e. metamorphosed).
In the region, there are sediments of marine origin and
a group of volcanic rocks of more than 300 billion years
(belonging to the Paleozoic Era). After that, there is
an accumulation of continental and marine sediments (limestone,
gypsum) during the Mesozoic Era (210 to 65 million years).
During upper Tertiary (Pliocene) and Quaternary, due to
the presence of huge forces linked to the lifting of the
Andes, in some places, fractures were made and there
appeared some more fragile areas, which favoured the
manifestation of volcanic events. Some volcanoes still
keep their flattened cone shape, despite their long and
advanced destruction by erosive processes. It is notable
the presence of glaciers. Since the Quaternary, there
has been a series of glacier advances. Like all the
mountain regions of the world, this one presents a great
variety of forms and formation processes. The high
erosion rates and sedimentation are the results of
cyclical episodic events over the time.
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