Huascarán

Huascarán
View of Nevado Huascarán Sur from Cordillera Negra
Huascarán
Elevation	6,768 metres (22,205 ft)[1]
Location	Yungay, Peru
Range	Cordillera Blanca
Prominence	2,776 m (9,108 ft)[2]
Coordinates	9°7′17″S 77°36′32″W / 9.12139°S 77.60889°W / -9.12139; -77.60889Coordinates: 9°7′17″S 77°36′32″W / 9.12139°S 77.60889°W / -9.12139; -77.60889
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 Peruvian province of Yungay, situated in the Cordillera Blanca range of the Western Andes. The highest southern summit of Huascarán (Huascarán Sur) is the highest point in Peru and all the Earth's Tropics. Huascarán is the sixth highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere after Aconcagua, Ojos del Salado, Monte Pissis, Cerro Bonete, and Tres Cruces. The mountain was named after Huáscar, a 16th century Inca chieftain who was the Sapa Inca of the Inca empire.^[3]

A summit elevation of 6,768 metres (22,205 ft) is traditionally cited, although a slightly lower elevation of 6,748 metres (22,139 ft) from a more recent survey^[4] is also quoted. 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 ice and rocks 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.

Bibliography

• Biggar, John (2005). The Andes - A Guide for Climbers (3rd ed.). Castle Douglas. ISBN 0-9536087-2-7. 
• Room, Adrian (1997). Placenames of the World. McFarland and Company. ISBN 0-7864-0172-9. 

References

External links

• Huascarán Sur on Summitpost
• Huascarán in Yungay, Peru
• Ascenciones al Huascaran, Peru (Spanish)
• Huts on the "Huascarán" mountain