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Volcan Barú in the distance. Can you see the communication towers at the top?
(just visible to the right of the 6km-wide caldera, widely breached to the west)
Volcano Barú is the westernmost volcano in Panama. It is comprised of predominantly andesitic rock (common in most volcanic areas of the world). Andesite is an dark, igneous, volcanic rock (the name derives from the Andes mountain range) that is higher in silica than basalt and lower than rhyolite or felsite. Typically, the composition of andesite is the result of fractional crystallisation and assimilation/contamination of the surrounding rock. The large caldera was formed by a volcanic landlside, which created an extensive deposit (of rich farming soil), extending out onto the Pacific coastal plain.