14:14 | Huaraz (Ancash region), Aug. 7.
The
scientific research conducted under the Huascaran Project on the snow-capped mountain of the same name, in Ancash region, is running smoothly and according to plan, Gisella Orjeda, CEO at National Institute for Research on Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems (Inaigem), said on Wednesday.
"No accidents have been reported, only a few delays due to the current weather conditions, that is, strong wind and some precipitations that are unexpected for this time of the year, among other minor difficulties," Orjeda told Andina news agency.
Ice cores
As for the samples taken, the Inaigem head said ice cores were extracted at two different sites: two samples from the col (also known as the gorge) of
Huascaran at 6,000 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.), and two from the highest point, called the South Summit, at 6,768 m.a.s.l.
Orjeda explained that ice on the col is formed by compaction of snowfalls occurring year after year, which have formed fine ice layers for about 20,000 years now.
"Each extracted sample contains ice cores 20cm in diameter and about 170m long (depth) from the surface to the bed beneath the ice," she pointed out.
"These studies will provide information about the weather 20 years ago, pollen grains, and vegetal debris blown by the wind, as well as an explanation of the vegetation types and the biodiversity in the Amazon region and its surroundings, particles in the atmosphere, and more," she remarked.
(END) MAO/RMB/MVB
Published: 8/7/2019