Cerro de la Virgen, Argentina and Chile

Not to be confused with Picacho de la Virgen.

Cerro de la Virgen
Cerro de la Virgen Location in Los Lagos Region
Highest point
Elevation	1,833 m (6,014 ft)
Prominence	135 m (443 ft)
Coordinates	43°46′30″S71°40′00″W / 43.77500°S 71.66667°W / -43.77500; -71.66667
Geography
Location	Languiñeo Department, Chubut Province, Argentina Palena Commune, Los Lagos Region, Chile
Parent range	Andes

The Cerro de la Virgen is a mountain on the border between Argentina and Chile, located in Chubut Province (Argentina) and the Palena Commune of the Los Lagos Region (Chile). It was named by Argentine engineer Gunnar Lange in 1902 on his map used in the 1902 arbitral award. It is the source of the El Salto River. Until 1966, Chile claimed the entire mountain, while Argentina considered it a boundary feature during the Alto Palena–Encuentro River dispute. Lange mistakenly identified the El Salto River as the Encuentro River, placing the origin of the latter at Cerro de la Virgen. However, the Encuentro River actually originates from the Picacho de la Virgen, which was named after the homonymous hill. ^[1] The 1966 arbitral award established it as a boundary peak.

It reaches an elevation of 1,833 meters above sea level, with a topographic prominence of approximately 135 meters above the surrounding terrain. The base of the mountain covers an area of roughly 1.2 km. ^{[n 1]}

Characteristics

The terrain around Cerro de la Virgen is varied. ^{[n 2]} The highest point in the area is 2,050 meters and lies 19.2 km east of the mountain. ^{[n 3]}

Population density in the vicinity is less than 2 inhabitants per square kilometer, ^[2] and there are no nearby settlements. The region is dominated by mountainous landscapes. ^{[n 4] [3]}

Vegetation around Cerro de la Virgen consists mainly of mixed forest. ^[4] The climate is continental, with an average annual temperature of 2 °C. The warmest month is February, at 12 °C, and the coldest is June, at −6 °C. ^[5]

Average annual precipitation is 3,085 mm, with December being the wettest month (350 mm) and September the driest (169 mm). ^[6]

Notes

1. The calculation is based on the longest extent of the contour to determine topographic prominence.
2. Calculation derived from elevation data (DEM 3") from Viewfinder Panoramas within a 10 km radius.
3. Calculation derived from elevation data (DEM 3") from Viewfinder Panoramas.
4. Within 20 km, compared to the average density of the area, per GeoNames.

References

1. Manuel Hormazábal González (1965). Palena y California, Tierras Chilenas. Editorial del Pacífico. pp. 244, 251–252.
2. "NASA Earth Observations: Population Density". NASA/SEDAC. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
3. Cerro de la Virgen at GeoNames.Org (cc-by); last updated 7 March 2014; database download 27 June 2015.
4. "NASA Earth Observations: Land Cover Classification". NASA/MODIS. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
5. "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
6. "NASA Earth Observations: Rainfall (1 month - TRMM)". NASA/Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission. Retrieved 30 January 2016.