Socompa forms a northeast-trending alignment with neighbouring volcanoes such as Pular and Pajonales, which reach elevations of about . Monogenetic volcanoes were active in the area as well during the Pliocene and Quaternary and generated lava flows. One of these centres is El Negrillar just north of the collapse deposit, which was active during the Pleistocene and formed andesite-basaltic andesite lavas unlike the eruption products of Socompa itself.