Copiapó

Copiapó (Spanish pronunciation: [kopjaˈpo]) 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 little rain (12 mm per year). The population of Copiapó was 9,128 in 1903, 11,617 in 1907 and, as of 2002, there are 129,091 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 (disambiguation)

Copiapó is a city and commune in Chile.

The term may also refer to:

Copiapó (volcano)

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 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi). 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 (100–300 metres (330–980 ft)) 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.