El Misti, Perú's best known volcano, is a symmetrical stratovolcano that towers above the city of Arequipa. It is seen here from the west at the margin of Arequipa's airport. The modern symmetrical cone has a small, 1.5-km-wide summit caldera containing nested craters. It caps an older Pleistocene volcano that collapsed, producing debris avalanches to the west and SW. El Misti's most recent activity has been dominantly pyroclastic. Historical eruptions date back to the 15th century.

Photo by Norm Banks, 1988 (U.S. Geological Survey).

This image is made available as a Public Domain Work, but proper attribution is appreciated.

El Misti