Huascarán
| Huascarán | |
|---|---|
 View of Nevado Huascarán Sur from Cordillera Negra |
|
  Huascarán
|
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| Elevation | 6,768 metres (22,205 ft)[1] |
| Location | Yungay, Peru |
| Range | Cordillera Blanca |
| Prominence | 2,776 m (9,108 ft)[2] |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | granite |
| Age of rock | Tertiary |
| First ascent | July 20, 1932 |
| Easiest route | glacier/snow/ice climb |
| Listing | Country high point Ultra |
Huascarán or Nevado Huascarán is a mountain in the province of Yungay-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, although a lower height of 6746 m from a more recent survey[3] is also often quoted. The mountain was named after Huáscar, a 16th century Inca chieftain who was the heir to the Inca empire. [4] The core of Nevada Huascarán, like much of the Cordillera Blanca, are Tertiary granites.[5]
Huascarán gives its name to Huascarán National Park which surrounds it, and is a popular location for trekking and mountaineering. Huascarán is normally climbed from the village of Musho to the west via a high camp in the col that separates the summits, known as La Garganta. The ascent normally takes 5-7 days, the main difficulties being the large crevasses that often block the route.[6]
The Huascarán summit is one of the points on the Earth's surface farthest from the Earth's center.[7]
Climbing History
The summit was first reached in July 1932 by a joint German–Austrian expedition.[8] The north peak (Huascarán Norte) had previously been climbed in 1908 by a US expedition that included Annie Smith Peck.[9]
1970 Earthquake
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 Yungay, burying the entire town under ice and rock, and causing the deaths of more than 20,000 people. Also buried by an avalanche was a Czechoslovakian mountaineering team, none of whose members was ever seen again.[10] This and other earthquake-induced avalanche events are often described incorrectly as "eruptions" of Huascarán, which is not of volcanic origin.
References
- ↑ Some authorities give 6,746 metres.
- ↑ Peru ultra-prominences on peaklist.org
- ↑ Peruvian IGM survey, 1971
- ↑ Room, Adrian "Placenames of the World" (1997) McFarland and Company ISBN 0-7864-0172-9
- ↑ John F. Ricker, Yuraq Janka: Cordilleras Blanca and Rosko, Alpine Club of Canada, 1977, ISBN0-920330-04-5, after Wilson, Reyes, and Garayar, 1967.
- ↑ The Andes - A Guide for Climbers, John Biggar, ISBN 0-9536087-2-7
- ↑ www.abc.net: Tall Tales about Highest Peaks
- ↑ 1932 ascent
- ↑ Annie Smith Peck
- ↑ Yungay history