Machu Pichu Is Falling essays

Machu Pichu Is Falling essays In March 2001, Japanese geologists went to Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan site in the Andes Mountains, and found proof that Machu Picchu would soon be victim to a landslide. The site is famous for being one of the last Incan strongholds after Spanish conquistadores invaded in the 16th century. It is located high in the Andes, 2550 meters above sea level on steep terrain. Based on what the geologists found, it could be one of two types of landslides. First, it could be a debris flow, which occurs when the ground becomes saturated (from rain), and then mixes with the regolith and other material (example: boulders), and that creates a kind of slurry that moves down slope. Their speeds vary, but specifically will move faster when on steep terrain and when its wet. It could be this type because it rains there a lot, it is steep terrain and it is moving quickly. Secondly, it could be a rockslide, which is when land slides, quickly, as a consistent mass, down slope, usually initiated along a fracture or weakness. It could be a rockslide because the soil is shallow at Machu Picchu, rain can activate rockslides, there is already a distortion line going through the site, and it is a quickly moving landslide. There are many triggers to activate these landslides at Machu Picchu. First off, Machu Picchu is in a steep area, which lends itself to most landslides. Then another huge factor that encourages landslides is rain. It rains a lot in Oregon, around forty inches a year, but at Machu Picchu it rains around, eighty inches a year. Rain can saturate the ground and make it unstable and susceptible to landslides. Lastly, the effect of people on this area is harmful. People walking everyday on the uncertain land could have the effect an earthquake might. There are many options as to how to attempt to stop this landslide. The number of people per day that are allowed has already been lowered to 500 a day, but less would be better. Pe ...