Kütralkura
Kütralkura
Geopark in southern Chile's Araucanía Region
Kütralkura (Spanish: Geoparque Kütralkura, from Mapudungun kütral, fire, and kura, stone, meaning "firestone"[1]) is a geopark in southern Chile's Araucanía Region. The geopark has an area of 8100 km2 and lies mostly in the Andes. It spans four communes: Curacautín, Lonquimay, Melipeuco and Vilcún. All of Conguillio National Park and Llaima, one of Chile's most active volcanoes, lie within the geopark.[2]
By May 17, 2018, Kütralkura was being considered for inclusion in the Global Geoparks Network.[3][4] The inclusion in the network was confirmed and accepted on April 17, 2019, by UNESCO's executive board.[1] The original geopark project was carried out and supported by the National Geology and Mining Service and CORFO.[4]
The work done at Kütralkura is being used as template for a similar initiative in Palena Province.[3]