Chicamocha Canyon

The Chicamocha Canyon ( , es, Cañón del Chicamocha) is a steep sided canyon carved by the Chicamocha River in Colombia. With a maximum depth of , an area of and a length of , the canyon is the second-largest worldwide. The canyon is situated in the departments of Boyacá and Santander, stretching from Soatá in the southeast to Girón and Betulia in the northwest.

The canyon is a major tourist attraction at approximately from the capital of Santander, Bucaramanga and close to backpacker destination San Gil. National Route 45A, connecting Bogotá with Bucaramanga, between San Gil and Piedecuesta crosses the canyon and offers spectacular sights on both sides of the Chicamocha River. The heavy truck traffic through the canyon, with frequent accidents and very restricted access can lead to long traffic jams. The canyon is currently administered by Chicamocha National Park ('' es, PArque NAcional del CHIcamocha, PANACHI''). The Chicamocha Canyon started forming in the Early Oligocene, when Colombia was undergoing a tectonically active phase of the Andean orogeny. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was emplaced during the Eocene and active subduction of the Caribbean and Coiba Plates caused uplift in the Eastern Ranges. The climatological changes of the Oligocene, with a general global cooling trend, strong uplift and changing and restricted weather patterns led to the formation of the early Chicamocha Canyon. Ongoing uplift in the Miocene brought about a larger and higher hinterland for the drainage basin of the Chicamocha River. In the Pleistocene, at the southern extension near Soatá, a paleolake, Lake Soatá formed, which was inhabited by the elephant-like ''Notiomastodon'' (described as '' Haplomastodon waringi'' found in the Soatá Formation in the canyon.

The canyon is one of the treasures of Colombia. In 2009, the canyon was nominated as one of the 7 natural wonders contest. Since 2013, a yearly set of running contests, the '' Chicamocha Canyon Race'', are held around the canyon.

Etymology

The name Chicamocha in the Guane language of the Muisca means "silver thread on a full moon night in the mountain range".Meaning of Chicamocha
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Description

Chicamocha Canyon has a length of ,Cañones de Colombia, una cadena infinita de montañas
/ref> extends over ,Nuestro Cañón sería 'bien de interés patrimonial universal'
/ref> and a maximum depth of , making it the second-largest canyon in the world.¿Por qué el Cañón del Chicamocha fue nominado a las 7 maravillas naturales del mundo?
/ref> The canyon was formed in a period since about 30 million years ago. The southern extension near Soatá, contained a Pleistocene paleolake, Lake Soatá. In the Soatá Formation, fossils of this period have been found. The canyon is currently administered by Chicamocha National Park.

The canyon is the result of the erosion caused by the Chicamocha River, which erosional forces created deep cliffs on both sides. The Chicamocha Canyon begins near the town of Soatá in the Department of Boyacá and flows mainly through Santander, extending all the way to the municipality of Lebrija. This geographic feature was caused by the movement of tectonic plates that extend from the Chicamocha Canyon to other regions such as Bucaramanga. South of Zapatoca, the Chicamocha River and the Suárez River form the Sogamoso River.Ortíz, 1958, p.5 The canyon represents the southern boundary of the Mesa de Los Santos, a seismically active area known as the Bucaramanga Nest.Ortíz, 1958, p.7

The climate in the highest parts of the canyon near Soatá is cold and humid, changing into a dry and hotter climate near Capitanejo.Reyes et al., 2007, p.23 The lowest areas in the northwest at around elevation have the driest and hottest climate.Reyes et al., 2007, p.25 The vegetation of the canyon north of San Gil is of a dry tropical forest.Pulido González, 1985, p.6

History

The region of the Chicamocha Canyon before the Spanish conquest was inhabited by the Guane.Guane people and their territories
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Geology

Chicamocha Canyon traverses formations of Precambrian to Pleistocene age. In the southeasternmost part, the Soatá Formation forms the youngest geological unit, deposited in terraces surrounding Lake Soatá. Lake Soatá was probably close to deep.Villarroel et al., 2001, p.88 The paleolake was approximately long and widest between Soatá and Boavita at .Villarroel et al., 2001, p.81 Fossils of '' Haplomastodon waringi'', '' Neochoerus sp.'' and '' Odocoileus cf. salinae'' have been found here.Soatá
at Fossilworks.org The fossil content is fragmentary.Villarroel et al., 1996, p.85

The canyon flanks contain outcrops of the Neoproterozoic Bucaramanga Gneiss, the Cambro-Ordovician sequence of Late Cambrian Chicamocha Schist, named after the canyon, and San Pedro Phyllites. This sequence was formerly called 'Silgará Formation'.Mantilla Figueroa et al., 2015, p.43 Following a hiatus, typical for Colombian geology spanning the Silurian, the Devonian Floresta Formation unconformably overlies the Lower Paleozoic section. The Jurassic Pescadero Quartzmonzonite, Jordán,Pulido González, 1985, p.8 and San Gil Formations,Pulido González, 1985, p.9 and the Cretaceous Tibú-Mercedes, Aguardiente, Capacho,Reyes et al., 2007, p.36 La Luna, Paja, Rosablanca,Pulido González, 1985, p.11 and El Tambor Formations overly the Paleozoic succession.Plancha 135, 2009Plancha 136, 1985Plancha 136, 1981, p.50

Near Jordán, the Las Cruces-Curití, Los Santos and Aratoca Faults cross-cut and form the canyon, around Curití, the canyon is cut by the Bucaramanga-Santa Marta Fault and near Covarachía the Chicamocha Fault forms the trace of the canyon.

Near Barichara on the flanks of the canyon, gypsum is mined.Pulido González, 1985, p.16

Gallery

File:cañonrio.JPG, Chicamocha River
File:Cañónteleférico.JPG, Chicamocha National Park cable car
File:vegetacionfaunachicamocha.JPG, Fauna
File:Rio Chicamocha on PANACHI 01.JPG
File:Cañon del Chicamocha.jpeg

Panorama

See also

* Chicamocha National Park
* Geology of Colombia
* Tourism in Colombia
* List of canyons

References

Bibliography

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Maps

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{{Treasures of Colombia, state=expanded

Landforms of Colombia
Canyons and gorges of South America
Erosion landforms
River valleys of Colombia
Geography of Boyacá Department
Geography of Santander Department
Altiplano Cundiboyacense
Muysccubun