The subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate results in great earthquakes and active volcanism along the Andean margin. The Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) between 15°S and 28°S and the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) between 33°S and 46°S are separated by a zone of flat slab subduction and differ significantly in the manifestation of current volcanic activity. The CVZ has been considered less hazardous due to the few number of historical volcanic eruptions compared to the SVZ, yet it contains the largest mid-crustal magma body on Earth and erupted at least 10,000 km3 of ignimbrite in the Late Miocene (10-1 Ma). In this dissertation, I use InSAR (interferometric synthetic aperture radar), thermal remote sensing, and seismology to investigate active volcanism in the Central and Southern Andes. InSAR and thermal remote sensing provide synoptic coverage along the volcanic arc, and seismic experiments allow further examination of selected volcanoes. I establish the first catalog of seismicity at Uturuncu volcano in Bolivia, where InSAR has observed continuous uplift since 1992, and find an unusually high seismicity rate for a Pleistocene volcano as well as swarm activity and triggered earthquakes. I then conduct a survey using satellite thermal infrared data to detect thermal hotspots related to volcanic activity throughout the CVZ and SVZ. I find hotspots at many volcanoes that had not previously been documented, with the CVZ containing more volcanoes with hotspots than the SVZ. One of the most thermally active volcanoes in the SVZ, Cordón Caulle volcano, experienced a large rhyodacitic eruption from 2011-2012. I use InSAR and petrology to model the pre-eruptive conditions at depth and coeruptive processes and find that a large, long-lived crustal magma reservoir must be present beneath Cordón Caulle. Finally, I carry out an InSAR survey of volcanoes in southern Peru, completing a regional study of volcano deformation in the CVZ and allowing for a comprehensive comparative analysis between the CVZ and SVZ.

This book provides a complete study of the Central Andean volcanism and its most distinctive features, from the lower Paleozoic to the Cenozoic times in the framework of its processes, eruptive mechanisms and geodynamic conditions. It helps readers understand the nature of the volcanic geology and the volcaniclastic related deposits linked to the evolution of the Andean continental margin. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the ancient volcanic successions and the difficulties in recognition of the original rock type caused by the effects of deformation, metamorphism and alteration. The authors use distinctive cases to describe how to apply different tools in analysis and interpretation. The selected representative, well exposed and preserved volcanic records of the Southern Central Andes analyzed in this book open new perspectives in the understanding of the volcanic processes linked to active continental margins as the Central Andes. This book will be of special interest to volcanologists and specialists in the earth sciences and appeal to both undergraduate and graduate students in geology.

Monogenetic volcanism produces small eruptive volumes with short eruption history, different chemical compositions, and relatively simple conduit. The Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes is internationally known as a natural laboratory to study volcanism, where mafic and felsic products are present. In this contribution, the spectrum of architectures, range of eruptive styles, lithological features, and different magmatic processes of the mafic and felsic monogenetic Neogene to Quaternary volcanoes from the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes in northern Chile (18°S-28°S) are described. The major volcanic activity occurred during the Pleistocene, where the most abundant activity corresponds to effusive and Strombolian eruptions. This volcanism is characterized by external (e.g., magma reservoirs or groundwater availability) and internal (e.g., magma ascent rate or interaction en-route to the surface) conditions, which determine the changes in eruptive style, lithofacies, and magmatic processes involved in the formation of monogenetic volcanoes.

With sharp satellite images, detailed figures and a highly competent description of each registered volcano, this catalog is invaluable for all earth scientists working in the Andes. Detailed descriptions of 44 major, potentially active volcanoes form the core of the book. A compendium of geographical and morphological data is followed by a summary of the structural and volcanological evolution