Chile boasts the highest number of active volcanos among all South American countries. In fact, most of its main winegrowing regions feature soils composed of volcanic material originating from eruptions that occurred millions of years ago.
The country is narrow, defined by two distinct geological features—the Coastal and Andes mountain ranges that both run from north to south along the western and eastern edges, respectively. Their origin and that of the many volcanos that exist in Chile is due to the subduction of the denser Nazca Plate underneath the South American Plate.
“As a result, the Coastal Cordillera rose,” explains Chilean geologist Eder González. “The Nazca plate continues subducting, making magma and gas that form and feed the volcanos of the Andes.”
The movement of these tectonic plates is also the cause of many earthquakes. The world’s largest earthquake ever recorded, with a magnitude of 9.5, happened in Valdivia, southern Chile, in 1960.
In 2023, Chile’s National Geology and Mining Service ranked 14 out of 87 active volcanos as high-risk. However, when it comes to volcanic wine regions in the world, Chile is not commonly recognized or mentioned. The reason for this is perhaps that the soils associated with volcanic wine regions, such as Etna or the Canary Islands, are not commonly found in the vineyards of the popular Maipo, Colchagua or Casablanca valleys, but rather in selected places along the lesser-known southern and austral regions.
“When people think about volcanic soils, they often associate them with basalt and
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
