Mirador Base Las Torres

by Martin Mergili

The Torres del Paine represent the central part of the Cordillera del Paine. The Mirador Base Las Torres is the ideal place to observe the geological peculiarities of this area, but also the glacially shaped landforms. The viewpoint - located directly at a glacial lake at the base of the towers of granitic rock - can be reached through a hike of three to four hours from the Hostería Las Torres.

Black and white

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Click on the arrows to explore the surroundings of the Mirador Base Las Torres.

The interface between the dark turbidites and the bright granite is very clear and sharp in many places.

You are invited to visit also the contribution on the Cordillera del Paine in order to learn more about the exciting geological history of this mountain range.

Altenberger, U., Oberhänsli, R., Putlitz, B. & Wemmer, K. (2003): Tectonic controls and Cenozoic magmatism at the Torres del Paine, southern Andes (Chile, 51° 10'S). Revista Geologica de Chile 30(1): 65-81 [Access source]

Fildani, A., Romans, B.W., Fosdick, J.C., Crane, W.H. & Hubbard, S.M. (2008): Orogenesis of the Patagonian Andes as reflected by basin evolution in southernmost South America. Arizona Geological Society Digest 22: 259-268 [Access source]

García, J.L., Hall, B.L., Kaplan, M.R., Vega, R.M. & Strelin, J.A. (2014): Glacial geomorphology of the Torres del Paine region (southern Patagonia): Implications for glaciation, deglaciation and paleolake history. Geomorphology 204: 599-616 [Access source]

Leuthold, J., Müntener, O., Baumgartner, L.P., Putlitz, B., Ovtcharova, M. & Schaltegger, U. (2012): Time resolved construction of a bimodal laccolith (Torres del Paine, Patagonia). Earth and Planetary Science Letters 325: 85-92 [Access source]

Wikipedia article on the Cordillera del Paine [Access source]