1. Natural disasters in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru
Major tectonic faults that are active
Marked glacierization
Geologically young, steep mountains
Pro-glacial lakes
Immediate vicinity of human settlements

3. ALPAMAYO

4. HUANDOY

5. ARTESONRAJU

6. Mt HUASCARAN, PERU

7. 1962 HUASCARAN AVY Large snow year
50 degree F increase in temp over a few minutes
Caused avalanche
4,000 fatalities
Yungay protected by ridge

9. 1970 Avalanche Triggered by 7.7 magnitude earthquake Rock face failure
Incorporated 30 meters of snow and ice!
Moraines confined flow initially
Accelerated over a distance of 2.4 km
Became airborne at change of slope

18. Church before 1970 avalanche. Note palm trees in foreground.

19. Many years after the avalanche. Note palm trees survived.

20. Yungay is now completely abandoned. Cemetery has
a monument to the dead.

22. Guiness book of records as the
most deaths ever from an avalanche

23. A potential disaster in the icy Andes: a regrettable blunder
May 3, 2003: “NASA feels the heat as glacier pictures cause unrest in Peru”, according to Nature
HUARAZ CASE STUDIES

24. On April 2, 2003 a NASA press release (http://photojournal. jpl. nasa
On April 2, 2003 a NASA press release ( gave reason to a major concern in Peru by stating the following: "A chunk of glacier was threatening to fall into an Andean lake and cause major flooding in a Peruvian city of 60,000. A fissure has appeared in the glacier that feeds Lake Palcacocha near the city of Huaraz, 270 km north of Lima. If the piece breaks off, ensuing floods would take 15 minutes to reach the city." The statement was based on the evaluation of an ASTER/TERRA (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer on NASA's Terra satellite) image taken on November 5, A second press release was made on April 11, 2003, adding to the previous a most recent ASTER/TERRA image taken on April 8, 2003.

26. 1941 Huaraz Disaster
Moraine damming the proglacial Lake Palca (cocha = lake: Palcacocha) broke
Resulting flood killed 6,000 people in Huaraz

27. HUARAZ, circa 1970

28. 1970 Earthquake that caused
the Huascaran disaster killed
about 40,000 people in
Huaraz.
Streets of Huaraz after the
1970 Earthquake.
Adobe houses collapsed,
killing people inside.

29. ASTER image,
2001
Fissure
NASA interprets as
huge crevasse

30. ASTER image,
2003
Fissure
NASA believes
glacial release
into the lake is
imminent

32. Rock band from glacial retreat,
not crevasse.
Palcacocha

33. Located above Yungay Potential Pro-glacier flood
LAGO PARON
Located above Yungay
Potential Pro-glacier flood

34. 1940’s flood from
glacier failure

35. Huge rock glacier dammed lake.
Could collapse at any time.

40. Summary 1962 Huascaran avalanche killed 4,000
1941 proglacial lake outburst from Palcacocha killed 6,000 in Huaraz
Lago Paron could have an outburst at any time from (a) collapse of rock glacier damn; (b) glacial ice fall into lake; c) combination of both