El Cocuy National Park is a national park located in the
Andes Mountains within the nation of
Colombia. Its official name is ''Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy''.
Geology
Because of its high altitude, and although it is located close to the equator, El Cocuy is characterized by post-glacial geological morphology, including steep slopes,
cirques,
moraines, and glacier-gouged lakes ''La Pintada'' and ''La Cuadrada''. The park's topography covers 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) from its lowest point to its highest point. The park is visited by climbers and
rockclimbers of all skill levels.
Geography
El Cocuy National Park is located in the
Department of Boyacá, near the villages of
El Cocuy
El Cocuy () is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the sub-region of the Gutiérrez Province. The national natural park El Cocuy National Park is nearby.
Born in El Cocuy
* Santos Gutiérrez
José S ...
and
Güicán
Güicán is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá. It is close to the national natural park El Cocuy National Park
El Cocuy National Park is a national park located in the Andes Mountains within the nation of Colombia. ...
.
Current events
The national park's
glacial
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...
heritage has made
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
a key element in the park's future. An 1851 watercolor of the "Great Snowfields near Güicán" shows Mount Chita fully capped in snow.
, the national park's historic
icefield
An ice field (also spelled icefield) is a mass of interconnected valley glaciers (also called mountain glaciers or alpine glaciers) on a mountain mass with protruding rock ridges or summits. They are often found in the colder climates and highe ...
has shrunk to scattered
snowcap
The snowcap (''Microchera albocoronata'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of th ...
s, and is expected to entirely disappear within a few decades.
References
External links
Images of El CocuyParque Nacional Natural El CocuySpanish-language National Park website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cocuy National Park
Parks in Colombia
Geography of Boyacá Department
Tourist attractions in Boyacá Department