The Aucanquilcha complex lies northwest of the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex (APVC), a local large igneous province. The APVC is underpinned below at a depth of by a slow seismic velocity zone that has been linked to the presence of 15-25% of partial melts in the zone. The Aucanquilcha complex is much smaller volumetrically than the APVC ignimbrites, but the duration of activity and the location indicate that Aucanquilcha is a subcomponent of the APVC complex.