Man, I am still stiff, and my knees are hurting. I hope I
did not do permanent damage to them in Roraima.
My friend at the parking garage has really taken me under
his wing, and gave me very detailed instructions on how to get out of downtown,
head back toward Bogotá for about 20 km (groan), and then take the road toward
the Parque Natural Nacional Los Nevados. I got there around 11 am, went through
an introductory talk, and then became the leader of a caravan of six cars to go
up to the flanks of the Nevado Del Ruiz volcano. The guide provided by the
park, Geraldine, rode shotgun with me, so in a way I had my very own guide. In
general the volcano was covered by clouds, and it was pretty cold (I came ready
for a tropical summer and do not have a jacket), but I was in my element and
enjoyed the visit very much.
In 1985 Nevado Del Ruiz became the main actor on one of the
worst natural disasters in recent memory (the recent eruption of Volcán de
Fuego in Guatemala is a close second). Back to 1985, the volcano had a minor
eruption at midnight, which caused a rock avalanche that mixed debris, snow,
and stream water to form a lahar that grew as it ran down the valley to the
east. After several kilometers the lahar reached the main stream, changed
direction to the south, and in the early hours of the morning flooded with a
thick layer the town of Armero. 25,000 people died in their sleep, and the
location of the former town became a featureless plain of mud. Later analysis
indicated that the town had been destroyed by lahars on two previous occasions,
only to be rebuilt at the exact same spot. The catastrophe taught us much about
the behavior of people that are rooted to specific locations, particularly when
they need access to a reliable source of water, and about the need to do large
scale planning when managing volcanic risk.
Nevado Del Ruiz is also a beautiful example of the volcanoes
of the magmatic arc. The lavas and domes I saw were dacitic in composition,
with comparatively few layers of andesitic scoria. The volcano is currently in
yellow alert condition because fumarolic activity has been very active during
the last two years; active seismic monitoring is being conducted by the
Servicio Geológico Colombiano, and access to the upper reaches is being
strictly limited to volcanologists.
The national park is also a crucial link in the preservation
of the high Andes ecosystem, and currently they host four male and five female
Andean condors that are struggling to keep the species alive. Condors hatch
only one egg every other year, but only live about 8 years, so the “recharge”
rate is low, particularly since condors are hunted by trophy seekers, or by
farmers acting under the misconception that condors can snatch children or
young cattle.
Back in Manizales I had the chance to walk in the downtown
area, visit the rather lackluster cathedral, join in the Saturday stroll
through the lively shopping area, and see kids having a good time playing in
the plaza. I miss little Ronnie.
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