Laguna Palcacocha
Encyclopedia
Laguna Palcacocha is a glacier
lake
in the Andes
-Cordillera
of South America
in northwestern Peru
.
Laguna Palcococha is located at 9°23′49"S 77°22′47"W in the Ancash Region
in Cordillera Blanca
at an elevation of 4,566 m, just below Palcaraju
(6,274 m) and Pucaranca (6,156 m) summits. The lake is one of several lakes supplying the town of Huaraz
with water, 23 km to the southwest.
walls that limit the lake downhill.
The wave hurtled down the Cojup Valley, destroying another lake on its way (Laguna Jiracocha) and carrying blocks of ice, large rock boulders and liquid mud towards the Río Santa valley.
Within 15 minutes the mudslide reached Huaraz, with 400 m³ of debris burying parts of the town and killing approximately 6-7,000 inhabitants.
scientists discovered a fissure in the glacier above Lago Palcacocha on Terra
satellite images of November 2001. Their warnings reached Peru just two weeks after UGRH (Unidad de Glaciologia y Recursos Hidricos) staff had done some field mapping of Laguna Palcacocha,
where a moraine rupture had caused a minor flood from the lake on 19 March 2003 which the safety constructions from the 1940s had captured.
According to research done by scientists of the Innsbruck
university in Austria
, the ensuing panic among the inhabitants and economic damage to Huaraz' tourism industry could have been prevented, as from their findings the NASA warnings were a misinterpretation of satellite data.
As the glaciers in this part of the Cordillera Blanca
as well as elsewhere have been declining and thinning up because of global climatic changes, there is no actual danger for Huaraz in the foreseeable future.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
-Cordillera
Cordillera
A cordillera is an extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges, that runs along a coastline . It comes from the Spanish word cordilla, which is a diminutive of cuerda, or "cord"...
of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in northwestern Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Location
Ancash Region
Ancash is a region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the La Libertad region on the north, the Huánuco and Pasco regions on the east, the Lima region on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is the city of Huaraz, and its largest city and port is Chimbote...
in Cordillera Blanca
Cordillera Blanca
The Cordillera Blanca is a mountain range in the Ancash Region of Peru. Part of the larger Andes range, it includes 33 major peaks over high in an area wide and long.-Overview:...
at an elevation of 4,566 m, just below Palcaraju
Palcaraju
Nevado Palcaraju is a mountain in the Andes cordillera and at 6,274m is the eighth highest summit in the Cordillera Blanca of northern Peru. Summits of the mountain besides its main summit Palcaraju Centro are:* Palcaraju Este...
(6,274 m) and Pucaranca (6,156 m) summits. The lake is one of several lakes supplying the town of Huaraz
Huaraz
Huaraz is a city in Peru. It is the capital of the Departmento de Ancash and the seat of government of the Provincia de Huaraz . The urban agglomerations population is distributed over the districts of Huaraz and Independencia. It was estimated in 2007 to exceed 120,000...
with water, 23 km to the southwest.
Flood Disaster 1941
On the early morning of 13 December 1941 a huge chunk of the adjacent glacier fell into Lake Palcacocha, causing the breaking of the moraineMoraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
walls that limit the lake downhill.
The wave hurtled down the Cojup Valley, destroying another lake on its way (Laguna Jiracocha) and carrying blocks of ice, large rock boulders and liquid mud towards the Río Santa valley.
Within 15 minutes the mudslide reached Huaraz, with 400 m³ of debris burying parts of the town and killing approximately 6-7,000 inhabitants.
Disaster Warning 2003
In April 2003, NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
scientists discovered a fissure in the glacier above Lago Palcacocha on Terra
Terra (satellite)
Terra is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit around the Earth. It is the flagship of the Earth Observing System...
satellite images of November 2001. Their warnings reached Peru just two weeks after UGRH (Unidad de Glaciologia y Recursos Hidricos) staff had done some field mapping of Laguna Palcacocha,
where a moraine rupture had caused a minor flood from the lake on 19 March 2003 which the safety constructions from the 1940s had captured.
According to research done by scientists of the Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
university in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the ensuing panic among the inhabitants and economic damage to Huaraz' tourism industry could have been prevented, as from their findings the NASA warnings were a misinterpretation of satellite data.
As the glaciers in this part of the Cordillera Blanca
Cordillera Blanca
The Cordillera Blanca is a mountain range in the Ancash Region of Peru. Part of the larger Andes range, it includes 33 major peaks over high in an area wide and long.-Overview:...
as well as elsewhere have been declining and thinning up because of global climatic changes, there is no actual danger for Huaraz in the foreseeable future.