Huascarán
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| Huascarán | |
|---|---|
 View of Nevado Huascarán Norte from Cordillera Negra |
|
| Elevation | 6,768 metres (22,205 feet) |
| Location | Peru |
| Range | Cordillera Blanca |
| Coordinates | |
| First ascent | 1932 |
| Easiest route | glacier/snow/ice climb |
Huascarán or Nevado Huascarán is a mountain of the Cordillera Blanca, part of the Western Andes. At 6768 m its southern peak (Huascarán Sur) is the highest in Peru and the fourth highest in South America. The summit was first reached in 1932 by a joint German–Austrian expedition. The north peak (Huascarán Norte) had previously been climbed (1908) by a US expedition that included Annie Smith Peck. The core of Nevada Huascarán, like much of the Cordillera Blanca, is made of tertiary granite[1]
On 31 May 1970 the Ancash earthquake caused a substantial part of the north side of the mountain to collapse. The block of falling ice and rock was about 1 mile long, half a mile wide, and half a mile deep. In about five minutes it flowed 11 miles to the town. The town of Yungay was completely buried by ice and rock, causing the deaths of more than 17,000 people. At that moment there was a Czechoslovakian mountaineering team on the mountain, none of whose members were ever seen again, dead or alive. This and other earthquake-induced avalanche events are often seen incorrectly described as "eruptions" of Huascarán, which is not of volcanic origin.
Huascarán gives its name to the Huascarán National Park which surrounds it, and is a popular location for trekking and mountaineering.
[edit] References
- ^ John F. Ricker, Yuraq Janka: Cordilleras Blanca and Rosko, Alpine Club of Canada, 1977, ISBN0-920330-04-5, after Wilson, Reyes, and Garayar, 1967.
