Tupungato, one of the highest mountains in the Americas, is a massive Andean lava dome dating to Pleistocene times. It lies on the border between the Chilean Metropolitan Region (near a major international highway about east of Santiago) and the Argentine province of Mendoza, about south of Aconcagua, the highest peak of both the Southern and Western hemispheres. Immediately to its southwest is the active Tupungatito volcano (literally, little Tupungato), which last erupted in 1987. Tupungato Department, an important Argentine wine-producing region in Mendoza province, is named for the volcano. Recent Chilean mapping indicates it has a height of 6635m. 1947 plane crash On 2 August 1947, the airliner Star Dust, an Avro Lancastrian carrying six passengers and five crew over the Andes range, crashed into a steep glacier high on the Argentine side of Tupungato. The plane was quickly buried in the resulting avalanche and heavy snowfall that was taking place at the time. The plane lay undetected deep beneath the snow and glacial ice for over 50 years. Its remnants finally re-emerged at the glacier terminus in 2000. Shortly thereafter, an Argentine army expedition discovered the scattered debris and wreckage, collecting some of the evidence for investigation. See also Incapillo List of volcanoes in Argentina List of volcanoes in Chile List of mountains in the Andes List of Ultras of South America Notes References Citations Bibliography External links Andeshandbook: complete description, history, place name and routes of Tupungato Pictures of Mount Tupungato "Cerro Tupungato, Argentina/Chile" on Peakbagger Star Dust Plane Crash Mystery Andes Mountains (Spanish) Volcanoes of Mendoza Province Volcanoes of Santiago Metropolitan Region South Volcanic Zone Mountains of Argentina Mountains of Chile Polygenetic volcanoes Pleistocene lava domes Pleistocene South America Andean Volcanic Belt Six-thousanders of the Andes Principal Cordillera