Subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South America Plate occurs in the Peru-Chile Trench at a rate of . It is responsible for the volcanism in the Andes, which is localized in three volcanic zones known as the Northern Volcanic Zone, Central Volcanic Zone and Southern Volcanic Zone. Cerro Blanco is part of the Andean Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), and one of its southernmost volcanoes. The CVZ is sparsely inhabited and recent volcanic activity is only poorly recorded; Lascar is the only regularly active volcano there.