The Quelccaya Ice Cap (also known as Quenamari Ice Cap) is the second largest glaciated area in the tropics, after Coropuna. Located in the Cordillera Oriental section of the Andes mountains in Peru, the cap covers an area of 42.8 square kilometres (16.5 sq mi) with ice up to 200 metres (660 ft) thick. It is surrounded by tall ice cliffs and a number of outlet glaciers, the largest of which is known as Qori Kalis Glacier; lakes, moraines, peat bogs and wetlands are also present. There is a rich flora and fauna, including birds that nest on the ice cap. Quelccaya is an important source of water, eventually melting and flowing into the Inambari and Vilcanota Rivers. A number of ice cores have been obtained from Quelccaya, including two from 1983 that were the first recovered outside of the polar regions. Past climate states have been reconstructed from data in these ice cores; these include evidence of the Little Ice Age, regional droughts and wet periods with historical significance and past and recent El Niño events. The ice cap is regularly monitored and has a weather station. Quelccaya was much larger in the past, merging with neighbouring glaciers during the Pleistocene epoch. A secondary expansion occurred during either the Antarctic Cold Reversal or the Younger Dryas climate anomalies. At the beginning of the Holocene the ice cap shrank to a size smaller than present day; around 5,000 years ago, a neoglacial expansion began. A number of moraines – especially in the Huancané valley – testify to past expansions and changes of Quelccaya, although the chronology of individual moraines is often unclear. After reaching a secondary highstand (area expansion) during the Little Ice Age, Quelccaya has been shrinking due to human-caused climate change; in particular the Qori Kalis Glacier has been retreating significantly. Life and lakes have been occupying the terrain left by retreating ice; these lakes can be dangerous as they can cause floods when they breach. Climate models predict that without drastic climate change mitigation measures, Quelccaya is likely to disappear during the 21st or 22nd century.
Geography The Quelccaya Ice Cap lies in the tropical highlands of southern Peru, in the Cordillera Oriental/eastern Andes. The Cordillera Vilcanota mountain range is ten kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest of Quelccaya, and Quelccaya is sometimes considered to be part of it; occasionally Quelccaya is also linked to the Cordillera Carabaya range. East of Quelccaya, the Andes drop off steeply to the Amazon basin. The Amazon rainforest – only 40 kilometres (25 mi) away – is barely discernible from the summit of Quelccaya. Lake Titicaca is 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Quelccaya. Administratively, Quelccaya is part of the Cuzco Department. The Andes in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia are subdivided into several separate mountain ranges, many of which are glaciated above 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) elevation; Peru contains about 70% of all tropical glaciers. Together with the Coropuna volcano also in southern Peru and ice bodies in New Guinea and the Rwenzori Mountains in Africa, Quelccaya is one of the few tropical ice caps in the world; during glacial times there were more ice caps which may have resembled Quelccaya. The existence of two smaller ice caps south of Quelccaya was reported in 1968.
Human geography The ice cap lies in a remote area. It is also known as Quenamari and is sometimes spelled Quelcaya. The ice cap shares the name "Quelccaya" with a town in the Corani District of Peru; the town's name is derived from the Quechua word k'elccay, "to write in". Since 2020, Quelccaya is part of the Área de Conservación Regional Ausangate, a protected area, and the local population considers Quelccaya an important apu, a holy spirit. The region around the ice cap is sparsely populated. The city of Cuzco lies 130 kilometres (81 mi) to the northwest of Quelccaya, and Sicuani is 60 kilometres (37 mi) to the southwest. The closest road is still 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the ice cap and the rest of the journey can take three days with pack animals to reach the ice cap. There are several camps at Quelccaya, including one close to the northwestern ice margin. A 1974 map shows a homestead on the Huancané River southwest from Quelccaya, about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the ice margin.
Ice cap The Quelccaya ice cap extends up to 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the north to south and between 3 and 5 kilometres (1.9 and 3.1 mi) from east to west. Quelccaya is a low-elevation ice cap that rises above the surrounding terrain; the ice cap lies at 5,200–5,700 metres (17,100–18,700 ft) elevation. The highest summit in the area of the ice cap is Joyllor Puñuna; its elevation above sea level is variously given as 5,743 metres (18,842 ft), 5,645 metres (18,520 ft) or 5,670 metres (18,600 ft). Another summit is about 5,400 metres (17,700 ft) high Ccoyllorhuaycuna. Nevado Jatun Quenamari and Nevado Cuncunani form eastward extensions of the ice cap. Snowline elevation has been estimated at 5,250–5,300 metres (17,220–17,390 ft). The ice forms a relatively thin and flat structure with several ice domes. The number of ice domes is variously considered to be two, three or four. Close to the summit of the ice cap the ice is 100–150 metres (330–490 ft) thick, with a maximum thickness of about 200 metres (660 ft), and as of 2018 the ice has a total volume of over 1 cubic kilometre (0.24 cu mi). Between 1975 and 2010, Quelccaya covered a median area of 50.2 square kilometres (19.4 sq mi). It has decreased over time, and by 2009 it had shrunk to 42.8 square kilometres (16.5 sq mi) making it smaller than the ice on Coropuna, which is not declining as quickly. Before this decline, Quelccaya was considered the largest ice area of the tropics.
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