Río Santa
| Río Santa | ||
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| Data | ||
| location |
 Peru
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| River system | Río Santa | |
| Source lake |
Laguna Conococha 10 ° 7 ′ 2 ″ S , 77 ° 16 ′ 59 ″ W |
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| Source height | approx. 4050 m | |
| muzzle | near the city of Santa in the Pacific Coordinates: 8 ° 58 ′ 21 ″ S , 78 ° 38 ′ 19 ″ W 8 ° 58 ′ 21 ″ S , 78 ° 38 ′ 19 ″ W |
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| Mouth height | 0 m | |
| Height difference | approx. 4050 m | |
| Bottom slope | approx. 12 ‰ | |
| length | 347 km | |
| Catchment area | 14,954 km² | |
| Right tributaries | Río Quitaracsa, Río Tablachaca | |
 Río Santa at river kilometer 13 |
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 Headwaters of the Rio Santa near Conococha in Ancash |
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The Río Santa is a tributary of the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Peru in the Ancash and La Libertad regions that crosses the Western Peruvian Cordillera .
River course
The lake Laguna Conococha at an altitude of 4050 m above sea level is seen as the source lake of the Rio Santa . The lake itself is fed by small tributaries from the Cordillera Negra in the west and the snow-capped Cordillera Blanca in the east. The main tributary of the Laguna Conococha is the Río Tuco , whose source is in the Laguna Tuco at ( ⊙ ), about 5000 m above sea level in front of one of the glacier tongues of the Nevado de Tuco . The Río Santa flows from the Laguna Conococha for around 200 kilometers in a north-northwest direction between the Cordillera Negra and the Cordillera Blanca and irrigates the fertile Callejón de Huaylas valley . At the northern end of the wide high valley, the Río Santa reaches the narrow gorge of the Cañón del Pato ("Duck Gorge "). At the San Diego Dam ( ⊙ ) at the upper end of the Cañón del Pato gorge, the water is diverted to the underground Cañón del Pato hydroelectric power station , below which it is returned to the river near Huallanca . The Río Santa then gradually turns west and breaks through the Peruvian Western Cordillera. At river kilometer 64 there is a weir ( ⊙ ) on the river. There part of the river water is drained off via a channel that runs underground in parts. The water is directed to an area north of the river, where it is used to irrigate arable land.
The mouth of the Río Santa after a total length of 347 kilometers is near the city of Santa , ten kilometers north of the coastal town of Chimbote . In 1984, the discovery of gold dust in the estuary sparked a limited gold rush in the coastal region.
During the dry season from June to November, the Rìo Santa contributes little to irrigation, drinking water and electricity generation. Therefore, dams were built on several natural lakes, mainly on the western flank of the glaciated Cordillera Blanca. These should ensure water flow even during the dry season.
Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap
Cities
The Río Santa is accompanied by an asphalt road over most of the course of the river.
The following cities are located between the Laguna Conococha and the estuary:
- 0 km Conococha (4050 m above sea level)
- 41 km Cátac (3540 m)
- 62 km Recuay (3400 m)
- 88 km Huaraz (3090 m)
- 126 km Carhuaz (2650 m)
- 153 km Yungay (2500 m)
- 163 km Caraz (2290 m)
- 205 km Huallanca (1820 m)
- 215 km Yuracmarca (1420 m)
- 343 km Santa (20 m)
Natural disasters
The valley of the Río Santa has been repeatedly hit by major natural disasters. Since the earliest records in 1702, glacial floods have repeatedly caused death and destruction.
In 1941, a tidal wave emanating from the Palcacocha glacial lake destroyed a third of the city of Huaraz, killing 5,000 to 7,000 people.
In 1962, a massive avalanche of ice and debris broke from the extinct Huascaran volcano and raced down the river valley. The level of the Río Santa rose by up to eight meters, 3000 to 4000 people were killed in the disaster.
On May 31, 1970 , the city of Yungay and most of its inhabitants were completely buried under masses of rubble by a huge landslide , caused by a severe earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale . According to various sources, 12-20,000 people lost their lives.
Devastating landslides (Spanish: aluviones ) like this one will continue to threaten the mountain region, whenever the breaking of glacier tongues suddenly floods the glacial lakes and liquid mud, blocks of ice and large boulders flood the narrow mountain valleys.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Principales cuencas hidrográficas a nivel nacional . Ministerio de Agricultura y Riego. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
