The Chicamocha Canyon (/ˌtʃiːkəˈmoʊtʃə/CHEE-kə-MOH-chə, Spanish: Cañón del Chicamocha) is a steep sided canyon carved by the Chicamocha River in Colombia. With a maximum depth of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), an area of 108,000 hectares (270,000 acres) and a length of 227 kilometres (141 mi), 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 55 kilometres (34 mi) 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 (Spanish: 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 preselected for the election of the 7 natural wonders.[1] The Chicamocha canyon was finally located in the Top 77 of the Natural Wonders.
Since 2013, a yearly set of running contests, the Chicamocha Canyon Race, are held around the canyon.[2]
The ChicamochaCanyon (/ˌtʃiːkəˈmoʊtʃə/ CHEE-kə-MOH-chə, Spanish: Cañón del Chicamocha) is a steep sided canyon carved by the Chicamocha River in Colombia...
Chicamocha may refer to: ChicamochaCanyon, second-largest canyon in the world, cut by the Chicamocha River, Boyacá and Santander Departments, central...
working in cotton textiles. The Guane lived north of the Chicamocha River, around the ChicamochaCanyon in an area stretching from Vélez in the south to the...
form the Sogamoso River. The ChicamochaCanyon contains the Chicamocha National Park (PANACHI; Parque Nacional del Chicamocha), a major tourist destination...
mighty river canyonChicamocha, is equally Chicamocha National Park, from where you can appreciate at its best canons of rivers Chicamocha and Suarez....
Belarus/ Poland ChicamochaCanyon Colombia Christmas Island Christmas Island Coatepeque Lake El Salvador Cocos Island Costa Rica Colca Canyon Peru Conchi...
popular destination. Situated at the rim of the ChicamochaCanyon, it offers a scenic view across the canyon and the Suarez River. It is known for its well...
Holy Rosary of Las Lajas) is a Catholic minor basilica located within the canyon of the Guáitara River in Ipiales, Nariño Department, Colombia. The Marian...
government, he handed over the Chicamocha National Park as the engine of activation of a tourist cluster erected in the ChicamochaCanyon; the recovery of the public...
landmarks include Guatiguara's valley, the Saints' Plateau, part of ChicamochaCanyon, and Ruitoque Plateau. Piedecuesta is an important agricultural area;...
Los Nevados San Andrés y Providencia Providencia Island Santander ChicamochaCanyon El Gallineral Tolima Cerro Bravo Nevado del Huila Los Nevados Valle...
Los Nevados San Andrés y Providencia Providencia Island Santander ChicamochaCanyon El Gallineral Tolima Cerro Bravo Nevado del Huila Los Nevados Valle...
is located to the east of the Altiplano and the Ocetá Páramo and ChicamochaCanyon are situated to the northeast. The Altiplano is subdivided into three...
Los Nevados San Andrés y Providencia Providencia Island Santander ChicamochaCanyon El Gallineral Tolima Cerro Bravo Nevado del Huila Los Nevados Valle...
Los Nevados San Andrés y Providencia Providencia Island Santander ChicamochaCanyon El Gallineral Tolima Cerro Bravo Nevado del Huila Los Nevados Valle...
Los Nevados San Andrés y Providencia Providencia Island Santander ChicamochaCanyon El Gallineral Tolima Cerro Bravo Nevado del Huila Los Nevados Valle...
particularly in the south where the Muisca controlled territory and in the ChicamochaCanyon where the Guane are situated. During the colony and independence war...
National Park PANACA Park Tayrona Park (Santa Marta) Tatacoa Desert ChicamochaCanyon National Park El Mariposario entomologic display specialized in Lepidoptera...
the town of Villavieja. The area is heavily eroded and crossed by dry canyons that develop transiently in the winter months. These shapes are created...
Los Nevados San Andrés y Providencia Providencia Island Santander ChicamochaCanyon El Gallineral Tolima Cerro Bravo Nevado del Huila Los Nevados Valle...
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