 Ampato is one of the highest volcanoes in the Central Volcanic Zone and the 35th highest summit in the Andes.The summit of the volcano is covered with an ice cap, and the edifice is incised by glacial valleys.The volcano is surrounded by three sets of moraines, the lowermost one at elevation has been attributed to the last glacial maximum between 25,000-17,000 years ago, the middle one between to a late readvance at the Pleistocene-Holocene epoch boundary and the higher ones above to Holocene advances.