During a long time the Argentinian volcano Llullaillaco situated in the Andes at 25° south and 69° west near the border with Chili was considered to be the highest one in the world – according to different records its height is from 6723 to 6739 m. It had erupted several times within the human memory – in 1854, 1868 and 1877. Of course there are a lot of much higher volcanos in the world, but all of them are considered to be dormant or silent. Among them was the Chilean Nevado Ojos del Salado (6891 m) situated in the Andes near the Chili-Argentina border. Its last eruption is considered to have happened about 1300 years ago and is not recorded.
Meanwhile in 1993 Ojos del Salado had made a minor ash emission. In its crater were found fumaroles – vents of volcanic gas and steam spouts. It gave a possibility to review the “status” of volcano and record it as active. At present time Ojos del Salado is considered to be the highest active volcano in the world that makes it a popular aim of climbing.
Ojos del Salado is the holder of several more records. It is the highest point in Chili. It is the second highest mountain in the Americas and in the whole Western Hemisphere after Aconcagua situated by 600 km to the south. As Щощы del Salado is located on the edge of the Atacama Desert, it is not so humid there. That is why there is no permanent snow cap on its top. But in the crater of Ojos del Salado at the height of 6390m there is a permanent lake about 100 m in diameter. It is the highest lake on the earth.
The first ascent to Ojos del Salado had been made in 1937 by Polish mountaineers. In 2007 the Chilean expedition made an ascent with a special automobile up to the height of 6688 m (it is recoded in the Guinness Book of World Records).