It is considered extinct and is one of the several 6,000 m (19,700 ft) peaks in the area, of which the chief is the Ojos del Salado.

[4][5][6] The volcano is part of the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes[7] and reaches an elevation of 6,016 metres (19,738 ft).

[8][4][a][b] It is composed from andesite with the exception of basaltic cones and lava flows on the eastern side.

These cones are part of the Peinado lineament and a sample was dated 200,000 years ago by argon chronology.

[17] On the summit lie two circle-shaped constructs, of Inca or Formative period ages.