Where on Earth? - December 2017

by The American Geosciences Institute
Friday, December 1, 2017

Click to enlarge photo.

Clues for December 2017:

  1. The south face of this peak, composed of andesite that dates to the Miocene when the now dormant stratovolcano last erupted, is viewed from a glacier with a name that means “forked post.”

  2. At 6,961 meters elevation, it is the highest peak in both the Southern and Western hemispheres, and one of the Seven Summits, a group containing the highest mountain on each continent.

  3. Nearby, Charles Darwin made the first geologic cross section of the mountain range of which this peak is a member.

Name the peak and its host country.

Scroll down for the answer

Answer: The photo shows the south face of Aconcagua, on the border of Argentina and Chile, viewed from the Horcones Glacier. At 6,961 meters elevation, Aconcagua is the highest peak in both the Southern and Western hemispheres, and is one of the Seven Summits, a group containing the highest mountain on each continent. Photo by Bob Carson.

December 2017 Winners: Charles Chapman (Ridgefield, Conn.) David Clare (Koror, Palau) Marinda Cox (Tucson, Ariz.) Jeff Kirtland (Bardon, Queensland, Australia) Eldridge Moores (Davis, Calif.)

Visit the ‘Where on Earth?' archive.

EARTH also welcomes your photos to consider for the contest. Learn more about submitting photos.


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