The Central Volcanic Zone is thinly inhabited and most volcanoes are not under reconnaissance, but Irruputuncu is watched by the Chilean SERNAGEOMIN geologic service.

The name Irruputuncu derives from Aymara iru spiny Peruvian feather grass and phutunqu a small vessel or a hole, pit, crater.

In the case of the CVZ, this addition generates magmas that are further modified by the thick crust in the area, forming andesites, dacites and rhyolites.

Irruputuncu and other volcanoes including Guallatiri, Isluga, Lascar and San Pedro have displayed phreatic or magmatic-phreatic activity.

[5] Irruputuncu is part of an elliptical alignment of volcanoes that extends to the east, which may be linked to a cup-shaped intrusion in the crust.

Further volcanic rocks beneath Irruputuncu are hydrothermally altered dacites that may be part of an older now deeply eroded edifice.

A second block and ash flow formed by the collapse of lava domes covers 0.801 km2 (0.309 sq mi).

[8] The El Pozo ignimbrite covers a surface area of 0.02 km2 (0.0077 sq mi) northwest of the volcano with a thickness of 50 m (160 ft), an approximate volume of 0.001 km3 (0.00024 cu mi) and is probably linked to Irruputuncu, in which case it would be the volcano's oldest unit.

This flank collapse extends 6.3 km (3.9 mi) southwest from the older crater I and is about 10 m (33 ft) thick.

[14] Irruputuncu displays vigorous fumarolic activity that occupies about half the summit crater and is visible within several 10 km (6.2 mi).

[16] ASTER imagery indicates Irruputuncu's fumarole field has a small surface area with high temperatures.

Deposits are generally yellow but close to the fumaroles they display different colours depending on their temperatures.

[6] Irruputuncu's rocks show minor evidence of crustal contamination, similar to other CVZ volcanoes located within transition zones.

[21] The gases escape from oxidizing magma at 491–781 °C (916–1,438 °F) and pass through a weakly developed hydrothermal system with temperatures of c. 340 °C (644 °F).

[6] Tephra layers found in the Salar Grande area of the Atacama Desert may originate at Irruputuncu.

[24] Eruption plumes on Irruputuncu, which reached an altitude of 1,000 m (3,300 ft) and dispersed to the east, probably triggered by phreatomagmatic activity, were seen on 26 November 1995.

[14] Like some other volcanoes in the area, activity at Irruputuncu has not been preceded by ground inflation during historical times.

Several theories, including aliasing of the imagery, have been proposed to explain the lack of ground inflation.

Geothermal anomalies of about 9 K (16 °F) have been noted,[9] including hot springs west and northwest of the volcano.

[28] In Chile, Irruputuncu is surveilled by SERNAGEOMIN, which produces regular status reports[2] and which in 2020 classified it as a "type III" volcano, owing to its proximity to Collahuasi mine.

[24] Olca and Irruputuncu[31] have been examined as a potential location for a geothermal energy project involving a company named Minera Doña Inés de Collahuasi.

[32] A geothermal prospect made at the base of Irruputuncu indicated the presence of water at temperatures of up to 220 °C (428 °F) in a deep reservoir;[33] the volcano was thus classified as "highly favourable area".