The Quelccaya Ice Cap, in the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes in Peru, is the second-largest glaciated area in the tropics after Coropuna, covering about 42.8 square kilometers with ice up to 200 meters thick. It is ringed by tall ice cliffs and several outlet glaciers, the largest called Qori Kalis Glacier, alongside lakes, moraines, peat bogs and wetlands that support a notable variety of plant and animal life, including birds that nest on the ice. The ice cap is an important water source, its meltwater eventually feeding the Inambari and Vilcanota Rivers.
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.