Cerro Tuzgle (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈse.ro ˈtus.ɡle]) is a dormant stratovolcano in the Susques Department of Jujuy Province in northwestern Argentina.

Part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, its summit is 5,486 metres (17,999 ft) above sea level and it grew during different stages over a caldera and lava domes.

Some major lava flows emanate from the summit crater, and one confirmed and one possible flank collapse unit as well as an ignimbrite sheet are associated with Tuzgle.

The most recent lava flows are dated at 300,000 years ago and volcanic activity may have continued into the Holocene.

[8] Its name, which is also rendered as Tujle, Tugle or Tugler, comes from the Kunza language; it means "knoll" and refers to the shape of the volcano.

[16] The lava flows that make up the volcanic cone are blocky, rich in crystals[17] and have variable appearances.

[18] A linear[19] 1.25 km (0.78 miles) long scarp runs across the northwestern flank of Cerro Tuzgle and separates two units of lava flows; it was formed by a localized collapse of the volcanic edifice in this sector.

[7] Drainage around the volcano is focused by surrounding ridges into a watershed that drains northward, and contains permanent rivers fed by springs at the bottom of valleys.

[28] A smell of hydrogen sulfide,[30] carbonate deposits and thermophilic algae have been reported from the Quebrada Aguas Calientes.

[32] The Central Andes are subdivided into three sectors: the Western Cordillera with the active volcanic arc, the wide Altiplano-Puna high plateau and the Eastern Cordillera-Subandean Ranges.

During the Miocene[d] and Pliocene,[e] the lower crust failed, allowing the uplift of the region and the injection of fresh magma that triggered extensive volcanic activity.

[36] Extensive volcanic rocks of Miocene to Pliocene age occur in the area,[35] which were erupted by volcanoes such as Aguas Calientes caldera[37] and Cerro Queva.

It reaches from the forearc in Chile across the mountain range into the foreland of the Andes in Argentina,[39] and it separates the northern from the southern Puna.

[43] Gravimetric and magnetotelluric surveys have identified a partially molten magma chamber between 8–22 km (5.0–13.7 miles) depth, which also contains saline fluids.

[45] Cerro Tuzgle has mainly erupted andesite and dacite, which constitute a crystal-[4] and potassium-rich calc-alkaline suite[1] with seriate flux and porphyritic textures.

[54] The climate is cold, owing to Cerro Tuzgle's high elevation, and winds blow mainly from the west and reach 2–20 metres per second (7.2–72.0 km/h).

[55] During winter, insolation is high, cloud cover and precipitation are low and strong winds blow through the area.

Animals that live in the area include chinchillas, condors, coots, Darwin's rheas, ducks, eagles, Galea species, guanacos, llamas, suris and vicuñas.

[61] Peatlands are dominated by the plants Oxychloe andina, Distichia muscoides and Zameioscirpus muticus,[56] with other cyperaceae being subordinate.

[18] Volcanic activity took place in multiple stages:[4] Two schemes for classifying the subsequent activity have been proposed, the first:[1] A substantially different reconstruction was provided by Gianluca Norini et al in 2014:[15] The "Old Complex" has a volume of 3.5 cubic kilometres (0.84 cu mi), the subsequent units only reach 0.5 cubic kilometres (0.12 cu mi).

[53] Tephra deposits east of San Antonio de los Cobres may have originated at Tuzgle.

[74] While the region is thinly inhabited, the occurrence of a sector collapse at Cerro Tuzgle implies that mining and geothermal energy exploitation efforts in the area could be imperiled by similar future events.

[76] These springs and other springs in the Tuzgle area are recharged by precipitation on surrounding ridges; large-scale fracture systems in the ground control its flow and water emerges in proximity to deeply incised valleys which provide the path for water to reach the surface.

[86] A potential yield of 28–34 megawatts of electrical power has been estimated, but as of 2020[update] no progress towards exploiting these resources has been made.