Zbyněk Engel

The Amazon River headstream area in the Cordillera Chila, Peru: hydrographic, hydrological and glaciological conditions

Abstract The source of the worlds largest river has fascinated scientists and adventurers for a long time. Extensive studies have been undertaken in the unexplored Llogueta River valley, Cordillera Chila, to identify the main stream of the Amazon River. Analysis of the Lloqueta River network and measurements of its hydrographic and hydrometric characteristics are presented in this study. On the basis of the acquired data, the northern hillside of the Cordillera Chila massif, concretely the basins of four mountainous courses—the Carhuasanta, Apacheta, Ccaccansa and Sillanque rivers—should be regarded as the headwaters territory of the Amazon River. Factors influencing the river system—glaciers and soils—were examined for each catchment. Glacier retreat in the last 50 years has left perennial snowfields only in the highest part of the study area, resulting in modification of the headwater runoff regimes. Preliminary results are afforded by the continual automatic water-level monitoring of the Lloqueta River since June 2008. Our investigations have determined that all types of soil in the area could be classified into two main categories: hydromorphic soils or poorly developed cryic soils. Citation Janský, B., Engel, Z., Kocum, J., Šefrna, L. & Česák, J. (2011) The Amazon River headstream area in the Cordillera Chila, Peru: hydrographical, hydrological and glaciological conditions. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(1), 138–151.