Raura (possibly from

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

''rawra''

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

) is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

located in the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, on the boundaries of the regions of

Huánuco Huánuco (; ) is a city in central Peru. It had a population of 196,627 as of 2017 and in 2015 it had a population of 175,068. It is the capital of the Huánuco Region and the Huánuco District. It is the seat of the diocese of Huánuco. The met ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

and Pasco. It extends between 10°21' and 10°31'S and 76°41' and 76°50'W for about 20 km.usgs.gov
USGS, Peruvian Cordilleras It lies a few kilometres southeast of the

Huayhuash Huayhuash (possibly from Quechua ''waywash'', weasel'','' or ''waywashi'', squirrel) is a mountain range within the Andes of Peru, in the boundaries of the regions of Ancash, Lima and Huánuco.escale.minedu.gob.pe - UGEL map of the Cajatambo Prov ...

mountain range. The highest mountain in the Raura range is Yarupac which reaches an elevation of . The Raura mine is located on the eastern slope of the Raura range and is accessible by road. Eighteen

glaciers A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

and 245 lakes dot the Raura range.

Description

Mountaineer John Ricker, said "chains of deep blue lakes, open swampy green valleys, rock and glacier-mantled peaks characterize the Cordillera Raura." The Raura mountain range is small in area, only about from northwest to southeast. It is separated from the neighboring

mountains to the northwest by a pass called the Portachuelo de Huayhuash, located near the border of the

Lima region The Department of Lima (), known as the Department of the Capital () until 1823, is a department and region located in the central coast of Peru; the seat of the regional government is Huacho. Lima Province, which contains the city of Lima, ...

and the Huanuco region at an elevation of about . Drainage from the west side of the Rauras is toward the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

via the headwaters of the Pumarinri River. The Huaura River drains the southern part of the Rauras toward the Pacific and the drainage from the north is to the Amazon River and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

via the

Lauricocha River Lawriqucha River (Huánuco Quechua ''lawri'' bluish, Quechua language, Quechua ''qucha'' lake, lagoon, "bluish lake", hispanicized spelling ''Lauricocha'') is a river in the Huánuco Region in Peru. It belongs to the watershed of the Marañón Rive ...

. Peruvian Highway 110 (unpaved in 2024) bisects the Raura range. The road reaches an elevation of about at the entrance to the Raura mine. Open pit mines cover an area of and produce copper, lead, zinc, and silver. The Raura mine is one of highest in elevation in the world with mining operations reaching to . Mining operations began on a small scale in 1890. The mine area includes permanent housing for workers. The mining operations interrupt the flow of the Lauricocha River and have resulted in pollution and the draining of glacial lakes."

Mountains

The highest mountain in the range is Yarupac at . Other mountains are listed below:Jill Neate, Mountaineering in the Andes, RGS-IBG Expedition Advisory Centre, 2nd edition, May 1994 *

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * S ...

* Cule, *

Flor de Luto Flor de Luto, Flor de Loto or Torre de Cristal, is a mountain located in Lauricocha Province in the region of Huanuco in Peru. It has an elevation of . It belongs to the Raura mountain range which is part of the Peruvian Andes The Andes ...

, *

León Huaccanan León Huaccanan, Kuajadajanka or León Dormido is a mountain located on the boundary of the regions of Huanuco and Lima in Peru. Sources list its elevation as or . It belongs to the Raura mountain range which is part of the Peruvian Andes ...

, *

Condorsenja Condorsenja or Condorshenga (possibly from Quechua ''kuntur'' condor, ''sinqa'' nose, "condor nose") is a mountain in the Raura mountain range in the Andes of Peru with of elevation. It is located in the Lima Region, Oyón Province, Oyón Distri ...

, *

Quesillojanca Quesillojanca is a mountain located on the boundary of the regions of Huanuco and Lima in Peru. It has an elevation of . It belongs to the Raura mountain range which is part of the Peruvian Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean ...

, *

Puyhuanccocha Puyhuanccocha (possibly from Quechua ''puywan'' heart of an animal, ''qucha'' lake, "heart lake") is a mountain in the Raura mountain range in the Andes of Peru. It is located in the boundary of the regions of Huánuco Huánuco (; ) is a city i ...

, *

Chuspe Chuspe (possibly from Quechua for insect, generic name of flies or two-winged insects; fly) is a mountain in the Raura mountain range in the Andes of Peru whose summit reaches an elevation of approximately . It is located in the boundary between ...

, *

Chacraccocha Chacraccocha (possibly from Quechua ''chakra'' field, ''qucha'' lake, "field lake") is a mountain in the Raura mountain range in the Andes of Peru, about high. It is located in the boundary between the regions of Huánuco Huánuco (; ) is a ...

, * Chuspiccocha *

Cushuropata Cushuropata (possibly from local Quechua ''kushuru'' an edible kind of seaweed, ''pata'' step, bank of a river) is a mountain in the Rawra mountain range in the Andes of Peru whose summit reaches about above sea level. It is located in the boun ...

, *

Siete Caballeros Siete Caballeros is a mountain in the Raura mountain range in the Andes of Peru with several peaks reaching approximately above sea level. It is located in the province of Lauricocha, in the region of Huánuco Huánuco (; ) is a city in cen ...

, * Sillasura * Yanajirca,

Lakes

Scholars have calculated that the Cordillera Raura has 245 lakes which hold 0.49 cubic kilometers (397,249 acre feet) of water. Some of the largest lakes of the range are Patarcocha, Tinquicocha and Huascacocha.

Snow, glaciers, and climate change

Peru has most of the glaciers found in tropical areas around the world. Tropical glaciers are disappearing due to

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

with one estimate that Peruvian glaciers lost 30 percent of their water between 2000 and 2016. The reduction in size of the glaciers has downstream consequences, especially in rivers flowing toward the desert coast of the Pacific Ocean where glacial-melt water is the principal source of water for irrigated agriculture, power generation, and consumption. Moreover, the increased melt of glaciers increases the size of glacial lakes and increases the risk of catastrophic breaching of natural dams containing lakes and a consequent loss of life downstream. The average elevation above which permanent snow fields cover the Cordillera Raura was in 1986 but this rose to by 2005, presumably due to an increase in average temperature. (The neighboring Huayhuash mountains did not experience a similar increase in the snow line.) Eighteen glaciers cover much of the highest parts of the Raura mountains. Glaciers flow to a lower elevation on the eastern side of the range, which receives more precipitation than the western side of the range. Elevation of glaciers ranged from (Caballococha and Viconga) to Pichuycocha at . The glaciated area in the Raura Mountains totaled in 2001. Notable glaciated areas in this range are: Leon Huaccanan-Azuljanka, which is a plateau of 10 km. long and 2½ km. wide that rises eastward, to a steep cliff in its eastern margin; a tiny ice plateau at the union of the Yarupac-Torre de Cristal ridges; and finally Santa Rosa mountain which has most of the remaining glacier ice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raura mountain range Mountain ranges of Peru Mountain ranges of the Department of Huánuco Mountain ranges of the Department of Lima Mountain ranges of the Department of Pasco Mining in Peru Glaciers