Cerro de Pasco is a city in central
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, located at the top of the Andean mountains. It is the capital of the
Pasco region, and an important
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
center. At elevation, it is one of
the highest cities in the world, and the highest or the
second highest city with over 50,000 inhabitants, with elevation reaching up to in the Yanacancha area. It is connected by road and by rail to the capital
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of t ...
, away.
Mining center
Cerro de Pasco became one of the world's richest
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
producing areas after silver was discovered there in 1630. It is still an active mining center.
The Spanish mined the rich Cerro de Pasco silver-bearing
oxide ore deposit
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April ...
s since colonial times.
Sulfide mineral
The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S2−) or disulfide (S22−) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. The sulfide class also includes the selenides, the tellurides ...
s are more common in the Atacocha district however.
Francisco Uville arranged for steam engines made by
Richard Trevithick of
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
, England, to be installed in Cerro de Pasco in 1816 to pump water from the mines and allow lower levels to be reached.
However, fighting in the
Peruvian War of Independence
The Peruvian War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia del Perú, links=no) consisted in a series of military conflicts in Peru beginning with viceroy Abascal military victories in the south frontier in 1809, in La Paz revolution a ...
brought production to a halt from 1820 to 1825.
Three major mines in the area include the Machcan, Atacocha, and Milpo. Silver ore occurs in
hydrothermal veins or as sulfides and
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay part ...
minerals replacing the
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
Pucara
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
.
Porphyry dacite
Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained ( aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhy ...
stocks
Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...
are found
intruded near the Atacocha and Milpo mines along the Atacocha
Fault. Compania Minera Atacocha started operations at the Atacocha Mine in 1936. Ore minerals include
galena
Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver.
Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cry ...
and
sphalerite
Sphalerite (sometimes spelled sphaelerite) is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in sedimentary exhalative, Mississippi-Va ...
.
Contamination of the environment by lead, cadmium and other heavy metals has precipitated a public health crisis in the city, but a 2006 law proposing to evacuate all inhabitants and relocate the city has not yet culminated in concrete action.
Geography
Climate
At above sea level, Cerro de Pasco has an
alpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...
climate (
Köppen ''ETH'') with the average temperature of the warmest month below the threshold that would allow for tree growth, giving the countryside its barren appearance. The city is the largest in the world with this classification.
Cerro de Pasco has humid, damp and cloudy summers with frequent rainfall and dry, sunny winters with cool to cold temperatures throughout the year.
Snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet ...
fall occurs sporadically during any season, most commonly around dawn.
The average annual temperature in Cerro de Pasco is and the average annual rainfall is .
Places of Interest
The local soccer field, Daniel Alcides Carrión Stadium, is one of the highest altitude sports stadiums in the world.
Important People
*
Daniel Alcides Carrión
See also
*
Yanacocha
*
Toquepala mine
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cerro De Pasco
Populated places in the Pasco Region
Regional capital cities in Peru