Wikipedia
Copiapó is a city in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region.
Copiapó lies about 800 km north of Santiago by the Copiapó River, in the valley of the same name. In recent years, the river has dried up. The town is surrounded by the Atacama Desert and receives 12 mm (½ in) of rain per year. The population of Copiapó was 9,128 in 1903, 11,617 in 1907 and, as of 2012, there are 158,438 inhabitants.
Copiapó is in a rich silver and copper mining district. It possesses a bronze statue of Juan Godoy, discoverer of the Chañarcillo silver mines in the 19th century. The Copiapó-Caldera railway line, built in 1850, was the first one in South America. The first section between Caldera and Monte Amargo was inaugurated on July 4 of 1850 in honour of the nationality of William Wheelwright, the American business man responsible for the project. The original wooden railway station is now a National Monument.
Copiapó, also known as Azufre, is a stratovolcano located in the Atacama Region of Chile. The volcano separates the two portions in which Nevado Tres Cruces National Park is divided. In its vicinity lies Ojos del Salado. At its summit an Inca platform can be found.
Dacitic volcanism occurred at this centre 11-7 million years ago and covered a surface of . The Valle Ancho fault can be traced beneath this volcano. The main cone is formed by dacites and block-and-ash flows that were later intruded by dacitic porphyries, associated with hydrothermal alteration. A smaller centre formed on the northern side of the main cone, as well as thick ignimbrites in two units. A complex of lava domes lies at their southern-eastern end with more hydrothermally altered porphyric intrusions named Azufrera de Copiapo. The last activity 6-7 million years ago formed a shield overlying the lava dome complex and the San Roman dome. Obsidian from this volcanic area has been found in archeological sites.
Copiapó is a city and commune in Chile.
The term may also refer to:
- Copiapó River
- Copiapó Valley
- Copiapó Province
- Copiapó Department - former department of Atacama Province
- Copiapó Volcano
- 2010 Copiapó mining accident
- Version 1.6 of the QGIS application