Mount
Carihuairazo (also
Carihuayrazo) is a volcanic
caldera neighboured by
Ecuador's highest mountain
Chimborazo.
Carihuairazo is located in the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes of central Ecuador, 150 km (93 miles) south-southwest of the capital Quito. Its neighboured by 6,267 m high Chimborazo. The nearest cities are Riobamba (~30 km to the southeast), Ambato (~30 km to the northeast) and Guaranda (~30 km to the southwest). Carihuairazo's 1.5 km wide heavy eroded caldera opens to the east.
The Carihuairazo forms part of the "Reserva de Produccion Faunistica Chimborazo" which forms a protected ecosystem to preserve the habitat for the andens native camelids Vicuña, Llama and Alpaca.
Carihuairazo's Glacier has lost an important part of its mass during the last decade as a result of global warming and ash covers caused by the recent volcanic activity[1] of its eastern neighbour Tungurahua.
