1. THE AMAZON MAIN SOURCE AREA IN THE CORDILLERA CHILA, PERU (New hydrographic, geomorphologic and glaciologic analyses)
Bohumir Jansky
Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science
Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology

2. History
The motive for 3 czech expeditions: Czech Jesuit Samuel Fritz - localising the Amazon River headwaters territory in the glacial lake Lauricocha, Cordillera de Huayhuash mountains of the western Peruvian Andes – created first map of the Amazon River (printed in Quito)

4. Lauricocha lake – source of the Marañon river

5. Rio Amazonas
Rio Marañon
Rio Ucayali

6. History of Ideas and Hypotheses concerning the Amazon River Headwaters Territory
Author
Year
Source
S.J. Santos García
1935
Laguna Vilafro
Michel Perrin
1953
Cerro Huagra
plk. Gerardo Diánderas
Cerro Huagra – Rio Monigote
Helen a Frank Schreider
1968
Nicholas Asheshov
1969
Nevado Minaspata
Carlos Peñaherrera
del Águila
Nevado Mismi – Rio Carhuasanta
Loren Mc Intyre
1971
Nevado Choquecorao
Walter Bonatti
1978
Rio Huarajo
Jean Michel Cousteau
1982
Jacek Palkiewicz,
Zaniel I. Novoa Goicochea
1997
Nevado Quehuisha – Rio Apacheta
Bohumír Janský (Expedition Hatun Mayu 1999)
1999
Bohumír Janský (Czech – Peruvian Expedition Hatun Mayu 2000
2000
Nevado Mismi – 4 mountain courses: Carhuasanta, Ccaccansa, Apacheta and Sillanque
Author
Year
Source
S.J. Santos García
1935
Laguna Vilafro
Michel Perrin
1953
Cerro Huagra
plk. Gerardo Diánderas
Cerro Huagra – Rio Monigote
Helen a Frank Schreider
1968
Nicholas Asheshov
1969
Nevado Minaspata
Carlos Peñaherrera
del Águila
Nevado Mismi – Rio Carhuasanta
Loren Mc Intyre
1971
Nevado Choquecorao
Walter Bonatti
1978
Rio Huarajo
Jean Michel Cousteau
1982
Jacek Palkiewicz,
Zaniel I. Novoa Goicochea
1997
Nevado Quehuisha – Rio Apacheta
Bohumír Janský (Expedition Hatun Mayu 1999)
1999
Bohumír Janský (tschechisch – peruanische Expedition Hatun Mayu 2000
2000
Nevado Mismi – 4 Quellenflüsse: Carhuasanta, Ccaccansa, Apacheta und Sillanque

7. Airport of Arequipa (2600 m). Volcan Misti (5821 m).

8. Nevado Ampato (6 311 m) and Sabancaya

9. Canyon of the River Colca

10. Transversal profile of the Cordillera Chila
and Canyon Colca
Confluence of Carhuasanta
and Apacheta (4713 m)

11. Village Cailloma – 50 km from headwaters territory

12. of Amazon River (Apurímac) in Cordillera de Chila
Headwaters territory
of Amazon River (Apurímac) in Cordillera de Chila

13. The main valley of Lloqueta

14. Basic camp – 4712 m

15. Where is located the main source
of Amazon river ?
The northern hillside of the Cordillera Chila massif and the confluence of four mountain courses - Carhuasanta, Apacheta,
Ccaccansa and Sillanque
- originating the Río Lloqueta, should be regarded a headwaters territory of the Amazon River.

16. Headwaters territory
of Amazon river (in 2000)

17. 3D model of the headwater territory of the Amazon river
km 0
3D model of the headwater territory of the Amazon river

18. Laguna „Bohemia“ – left source of the Carhuasanta river

19. Laguna Bohemia – left source of the Carhuasanta river

20. Right headwaters stream of the Carhuasanta river

21. Glaciation in 2000
The glaciation was restricted to the highest parts of mountain ranges in the eastern part of the Cordillera Chila. There are four glaciers in the catchment area of the Carhuasanta and Apacheta rivers that extend over a surface of 1.54 km² out of total 57.15 km². The snowline altitude varies from 5250 to 5300 m.
Over the 20th century, the glaciers of an observed area have undergone rapid retreats: glaciers experienced a 60 % decrease in surface area since 1955.
Glaciers disappeared from 2000 to 2007 completely and fields of perennial snow persisted in the highest areas only

22. Glacier retreat
since to 1999

23. The watershed between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

24. Nudo Coropuna

25. Geomorphology

26. Distribution of soils in the Amazon River headstream area

27. Carhuasanta river and Nevado Mismi (5628 m)

28. New research project - funded by the Czech Science Foundation
“Natural Hazards of the Amazon River Sources Territory Caused by the Global Climatic Changes”
STUDY AREA
The Peruvian Western Andes (Cordillera Occidental) – altitudes higher than 5000 m
→ The watershed between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
Cordillera Huayhuash (10° S.)
Cordillera Chila (15° S.)
– distance N-S about 1000 km.

29. Comparing of two areas:
Marañon River headstream area (humid) - mountain steppe páramos
2. Ucayali – Apurímac (Amazon) headstream area (arid)
– mountain steppe puna
Western hillsides:
Costa – zone along the Pacific coast (aridity growth to the south) → desert area and vegetation of type lomas in fog layer garúa.
- periodical effect El Niño (El Niño – Southern Oscillation): temperature increase → heavy rain → natural disaster (increase of glacier melting,
debris flows - huaycos, outburst of glacial lakes, floods, landslides).
Specially strong El Niño in 1982/83 a 1997/98
Oriental hillsides and the tableland: humidify – under the influence of trade wind from Atlantic ocean
Partnership in Peru:
National Hydrometerological Institute SENAMHI (Servicio Nacional de Meterología e Hidrología)

30. Headwaters territory of the Amazon River

31. The climatic station at the Amazon’s source, located at 5075 m above sea level - it is the highest located station in Peru. In background Nevado Mismi (5628 m a.s.l.).

32. air temperature
soil temperature (0.1 m)
radiation
Air temperature, soil temperature and solar radiation at the Amazon’s source. The climatic station of the Charles University in Prague (5075 m a.m.s.l.
Period

33. Average daily and monthly discharges in the Lloqueta River (headwaters territory of the Amazon River) and line of trend of monthly discharges.

35. Headwaters territory of the Marañon River

37. Proglacial Cangrajanca lake

38. Dangerous Cangrajanca lake with periodical outburst
Dangerous Cangrajanca lake with periodical outburst. The lake basin is filled from the Yerupaja glacier.

39. Yerupaja glacier retreat (1957 – 2008)
Total retreat: m, annual retreat: 4 – 7 m.

40. The relief changes in the valley of Carhuacocha river after lanslide from 8.3. 2009
Lake outflow
Central moraine
Proglacial lake
The new dammed lake

41. Conclusions
The monitoring has confirmed a falling trend in the flow rate, following the retreat of area glaciers.
At present, the Cordillera Chila mountain range no longer has any glaciers. The last of them melted between 2000 and 2007.
The Cordillera Huayhuash mountains show a relatively slow retreaAverage daily and monthly discharges in the Lloqueta River (headwaters territory of the Amazon River) and line of trend of monthly discharges.
t of valley glaciers in comparison with the neighboring Cordillera Blanca range → since 1957, glaciers have retreated at an average annual rate of 4 to 7 m, summary by 230 to 350 m.
Systematic measurements of soil temperatures have shown an absence of long-term frozen soils in locations up to 5150 m above sea level.
The lower boundary of the zone of mountain permafrost is, therefore, located higher than the literature indicates for this area.

44. Climate change impact on mountain lakes of Kyrgyzstan with regard to the risk of their rupture
Bohumír Janský¹,
Jan Kocum¹, Zbyněk Engel, Miroslav Šobr,
Michal Černý² Sergei A. Yerokhin³
¹ Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology,
² GEOMIN Consulting Company, ³ Kyrgyz State Geoagency

45. The hazardous alpine lakes in Kyrgyzstan
1500 lakes covering more than 1 hectare
328 potentially dangerous
lakes
12 actually dangerous lakes
25 of high potential hazard

46. Petrov lake: an extremely dangerous evolution

47. Petrov Glacier retreat (1957-2006)
Total retreat (m)
Annual retreat (m/y)
1330
15.1
570
24.8
380
38.0
390
43.3
430
61.4

48. Tailings dam
Petrov Lake
Petrov Glacier
Gold mine Kumtor
Satelite image of the Petrov Lake area (QuickBird 2003)

49. narow part of the dam
superficial outflow

50. The lakes of thermokarstic depressions

51. Adygine research station 3 600 mts a. s. l.

53. The scientists have
a hard live…