Sierra Nevada del Cocuy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Parque Natural Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, Chita o Guican
Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, Chita o Guican National Natural Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Pan de Azúcar (5120 m) in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Location	Departments of Arauca, Boyacá and Casanare
Nearest city	Tame, Arauca, Colombia
Area	3,062 km2 (1,182 sq mi)
Established	1977
Governing body	SINAP

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Chita or Guican National Natural Park is a special protected area in Colombia. It is also known as the Sierra Nevada de Chita or Sierra Nevada de Güicán. This park is part of the Eastern Cordillera mountain range in the Andes Mountains. It has the largest amount of ice and glaciers in South America, north of the Equator.

Since 1977, this area has been a National Natural Park (NNP-Cocuy). It is protected because it has fragile páramo ecosystems. These are unique high-mountain grasslands. The park is also home to many different plants and animals. It is a key place for animals that migrate, especially with changes in the climate. Some of the amazing things to see here are 18 ice-covered peaks. There used to be 25! You can also find beautiful glacial lakes and waterfalls.

Exploring the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is located in the Boyacá and Arauca regions of Colombia. The official name of the park is Parque Nacional Natural el Cocuy (PNN El Cocuy). This park covers about 3,000 square kilometers (1,158 square miles). Almost half of this area (47%) is covered by páramo ecosystems.

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy has the biggest ice mass in Colombia. The melting ice from these glaciers feeds important rivers. These rivers include the Arauca, Casanare, and Chicamocha. They flow into the Magdalena and Orinoco basins. Many people in Colombia and Venezuela use this water for farming and daily life.

High Peaks of the Park

The park is home to many tall mountains. Several of these peaks have snow on them all year round. Some of the most famous peaks include:

• Pan de Azúcar (5,120 meters or 16,798 feet)
• el Púlpito del Diablo (5,100 meters or 16,732 feet)
• Cóncavo (5,200 meters or 17,060 feet)
• Ritacuba Blanco (5,330 meters or 17,487 feet)
• Ritacuba Negro (5,300 meters or 17,388 feet)
• Sirara (5,200 meters or 17,060 feet)

An old painting from 1856 by Manuel María Paz shows an early view of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy.

How the Mountains Formed

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy has the highest mountains in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. These mountains formed over millions of years. Long ago, this area was a deep basin that collected sediments. Over time, the Earth's plates pushed together. This caused the basin to fold and uplift, creating the tall mountains we see today.

The rocks in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy are mostly sedimentary rocks from the Cretaceous period. These rocks include quartzites, sandstones, and mudstones. They were laid down in ancient oceans or coastal areas. Since then, they have been lifted up about 5 kilometers (3 miles). Most of this uplift happened in the last 7 million years.

A hiker reaches the glacier atop Ritacuba Blanco in Sierra Nevada del Cocuy National Park.

Plants and Animals of the Park

Most of the area around the icy peaks of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is covered by páramo ecosystems. These special high-mountain areas are found between 3,000 and 4,800 meters (9,800 and 15,700 feet) above sea level. Páramos are unique to the tropical Andes in South America. They are found in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Páramos are very important for many reasons:

• They have a huge variety of plants and animals found nowhere else.
• They help control water flow, acting like giant sponges.
• They store carbon, which helps fight climate change.

One of the most famous plants in the páramo is the yellow-flowered Frailejón (Espeletia lopezii). It grows below the ice line. Many other plants, like those from the daisy, mint, grass, and rose families, also grow here.

You can also find amazing animals in the park. These include tapirs, brown bears, and Andean condors. You might also spot eagles, páramo deer, and the famous Spectacled Bear (also called the Andean Bear).

Protecting the Ecosystem

Even though páramos are special and important, they have faced challenges. People have lived in this region for a long time, including the U'wa indigenous groups. Over time, farming and other human activities have changed the landscape. This has made it harder for the páramo to store water. It has also introduced new plants and animals that don't belong there.

Since the time of the Spanish colonies, new farming methods have been introduced. These have brought in invasive species, cattle, and sheep. These changes can harm the delicate balance of the páramo ecosystem. As the climate gets warmer, these problems might get worse. It's important to protect these areas for their unique plants, animals, and water resources.

Glaciers and the Changing Climate

The landscapes in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy show signs of past glaciers. These glaciers carved out valleys and left behind piles of rock called moraines. The mountains are also shaped by earthquakes and rockfalls.

The glaciers in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy have likely been here for about 3 million years. Studies show that the climate in this region has changed a lot over the last 50,000 years. The glaciers have grown and shrunk many times.

Glaciers Melting Fast

Around 1850, during a period called the Little Ice Age, the glaciers were at their largest in recent history. But since then, they have been melting very quickly. They are shrinking by about 1 square kilometer (0.4 square miles) each year. Scientists have seen this melting using satellite images and old records.

With global warming, tropical glaciers like those in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy are melting even faster. Scientists predict that all the ice in this region could be gone by 2040, or even as early as 2025. This is a big concern because these areas are warming up much faster than places at sea level.

A view of a glacial valley with small moraines and a lake formed by a moraine.

Native Peoples of the Sierra Nevada

The original people of this region are the U'wa (also called Tunebos). Their special land, called a reservation, is partly inside the park. This means the U'wa people use parts of the park for farming, grazing animals, hunting, and fishing.

From 1969 to 1977, the Colombian government encouraged people from other parts of Colombia to move into the park area. This led to some of the U'wa lands being lost. Other settlements also appeared within the park boundaries.

Climate in the Mountains

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy has a cold, alpine tundra climate. This means it's cold all year round, with some rain and occasional snow. The weather can change quickly. Here is some climate information for Alto la Cueva, a place in the park:

Images for kids

• 

  Pan de Azúcar (5120 m) in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy

See also

In Spanish: Parque nacional natural El Cocuy para niños