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Aucanquilcha is a large compound volcano in Chile. It has the form of a ridge reaching an altitude of 6,176 m (20,262 ft) above sea level and formed between 1.04 and 0.23 million years ago. During the ice ages, Aucanquilcha was covered in an ice cap that left moraines and cirques. It has generated lava in a dacite composition. Systematic variations in temperature, crystal and biotite content have been recorded during the evolution of the cluster. They reflect the change of the magma supply conduits in the crust from dispersed magma chambers to a centralized volcanic system. A mine was opened at an altitude of 5,950 m (19,520 ft) in 1913; it remained in use from 1950 to 1992, constituting at that time the world's highest mine, and mined the sulfur deposits of the volcano in its summit area. As part of this mining activity, a road and an aerial cableway were built on Aucanquilcha. In 1986, four men were reported to be living at an altitude of 5,900 m (19,400 ft), making them the highest permanent residents on Earth. (Full article...)

November 14: World Diabetes Day; Dobruja Day in Romania

Portrait of Herman Melville, 1870

• 1851 – Moby-Dick, a novel by American writer Herman Melville (pictured), was first published in the United States.
• 1941 – Second World War: After suffering torpedo damage the previous day, the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sank as she was being towed to Gibraltar for repairs.
• 1969 – Apollo 12 launched from the Kennedy Space Center, later becoming the second crewed flight to land on the Moon.
• 1991 – Croatian War of Independence: Croatian naval commandos attacked the Yugoslav patrol boat Mukos, starting the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels.
• 1992 – In poor conditions caused by Cyclone Forrest, Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 crashed near Nha Trang, killing 30 people.