Quimsa Cruz

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Quimsa Cruz / Kimsa Krus
Quimsa Cruz from the north

Quimsa Cruz from the north

Highest peak Jacha Collo ( 5800  m )
location La Paz Department (Bolivia)
part of To the
Quimsa Cruz / Kimsa Krus (Bolivia)
Quimsa Cruz / Kimsa Krus
Coordinates 17 ° 0 ′  S , 67 ° 20 ′  W Coordinates: 17 ° 0 ′  S , 67 ° 20 ′  W
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The Cordillera Quimsa Cruz , Aymara and Quechua Kimsa Krus , also known as " Tres Cruces " (German for "three crosses"), is a mountain range in the La Paz department in Bolivia .

The Cordillera Quimsa Cruz is one of the most remote mountain regions in Bolivia and has a strong alpine character. The high peaks are partly heavily glaciated and mostly made of stable granite rock. The name comes from the Aymara language - or Quechua - and means something like three crosses. The mountain range is 30 kilometers long and between 9 and 15 kilometers wide. Approximately 80 peaks rise between 4900 and 5760 meters.

location

The Cordillera Quimsa Cruz is part of the Bolivian Cordillera Real and continues the series of Andean peaks of Illampú , Ancohuma , Huayna Potosí and Illimani in a southeastern direction. The year-round snow-covered mountain range lies between 16 ° 53'S 67 ° 28'W and 17 ° 07'S 67 ° 13'W in the border area between the province of Loayza in the west and the province of Inquisivi in the east and has a length of 30 km. Further to the southeast, the ridge of the Cordillera Mazo Cruz joins. In the north the mountains are bounded by the Cañon del Río de la Paz , in the south by the Paso de las Tres Cruzes.

Climate and altitude levels

The Cordillera Quimsa Cruz is divided into four height levels . The valleys extend from 2500 to 3700 meters above sea level. The average temperature here is 12 ° C, with an annual rainfall of 600 mm. The puna starts at 3700 meters and ends at about 4000 meters. Here the annual precipitation is only 300 mm and the average temperature is 7 ° C.

The Alto Andino, the Andean highlands , stretches from 4000 meters to 4800 meters . The climate here is very cold and semi-humid . It rains mainly in the months from November to March, the remaining months are quite dry. The average temperature drops to 5 ° C and the annual rainfall is 600 mm. Above is the Nivale Zone. This is sparsely overgrown and mainly characterized by rock and ice. Here the average temperature is only 1 to 2 ° C and the annual rainfall is 700 mm.

The glaciers on the east side stretch down to about 5400 meters above sea level, on the west side up to 5200 meters. The Cordillera Quimsa Cruz glacier area makes up 10 percent of the total area of ​​the Bolivian glaciers. This is 566 square kilometers, that of the Cordillera Quimsa Cruz about 57 km². Here, too, the glaciers are constantly losing volume due to global warming.

summit

The cordillera rises to about 5800 meters and has u. a. the following peaks:

  • Jacha Collo (also: Jachacunocollo) 5800 m
  • Gigante Grande 5748 m
  • Cerro Don Luiz 5754 m
  • Pirámide de Atoroma 5650 m
  • Huayna Cuno Collo 5640 m
  • Nevado de Atoroma 5565 m
  • Korichuma 5500 m

Development

The most important town at the foot of the Quimsa Cruz is Quime , other important towns are Viloco , Araca , Mina Caracoles , Mina Argentina , Pacuni and Cairoma .

The Quimsa Cruz Cordillera is rich in mineral resources, so that there are mining tunnels and mine stores up to heights of almost 5000 meters. The access point for ore mining is primarily Viloco , which was a prosperous mining town with a cinema and its own telephone system until the 1920s, as well as villages such as Mina Argentina and Mina Caracoles . Mainly zinc , tin , copper , tungsten and lead , but also gold and silver are mined.

flora

The flora in the Cordillera Quimsa Cruz is highly dependent on the altitude and is one of the most diverse in the highlands of Bolivia. Near Araca is one of two places in Bolivia and four in the Andes in total where the giant bromeliad Puya raimondii can be found. The typical Andean vegetation such as the hard moss Bofedales or the equally hard Ichu grass grows at higher altitudes. In the moderate altitudes there are tons of types of flowers. The only remaining tree species are eucalyptus and polylepis (Qiwuña). In addition, Retama , Tico, Ramran (Aliso) , Molle , Lambrada, Jamillo , Verbena , Chilliwa, Paiqo, Muña , Kharwinchu (Cardo) and Sawsi (sauce) are found in the valley areas . Sewenkha, Nunumaya, Mutumutu, des Chachakuma , Q'uwa , Warichillkha and Umachillkha are found in the puna. In the high Andes , only Ichu , Pasto Pluma, Pasto Bandera, Napha, Chiji, Anawaya and Thula remain.

fauna

Many of the typical Andean highland inhabitants can also be found in the Quimsa Cruz area. In addition to the condor , which has become very rare, falcons and smaller species of eagles can also be found. The largest animal species living on the ground is the spectacled bear , which, like the puma, is rarely found. The Andean fox , on the other hand, can be seen more often, as well as various species of wild cats . Their prey animals are mainly mice , but also hares and viscachas . Trout have now been used in the numerous mountain lakes .

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