World Geomorphological Landscapes Michel Hermelin E ditor Landscapes and Landforms of Colombia World Geomorphological Landscapes Series editor Piotr Migoń, Wroclaw, Poland More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/10852 Michel Hermelin Editor Landscapes and Landforms of Colombia 123 Editor Michel Hermelin (deceased) Department ofGeology U.EAFIT Medellín Colombia ISSN 2213-2090 ISSN 2213-2104 (electronic) World Geomorphological Landscapes ISBN978-3-319-11799-7 ISBN978-3-319-11800-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-11800-0 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2015945567 SpringerChamHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon ©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2016 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartofthematerialis concerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation,broadcasting,reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,servicemarks,etc.inthispublicationdoesnot imply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfromtherelevantprotectivelawsand regulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. Thepublisher,theauthorsandtheeditorsaresafetoassumethattheadviceandinformationinthisbookarebelieved tobetrueandaccurateatthedateofpublication.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorsortheeditorsgiveawarranty, expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinorforanyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeen made. Printedonacid-freepaper SpringerInternationalPublishingAGSwitzerlandispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia (www.springer.com) This book is dedicated to the memory of Benjamín Alvarado Biester, the founding director of the Colombian Geological Survey. About 30 years ago I gave him a copy of the book I had just published, to try to convince architects, urban planners and decision-makers of the necessity to take into account the Earth Sciences in every land development. A few days later, Benjamín responded with this unforgettable comment: “Michel, you put so many arguments in your book to persuade people to study the Earth, but you missed the most important one: it is because it is beautiful.” Foreword Itisapleasureandanhonortowritetheseintroductorywordstoaccompanythebookentitled “Landscapes and Geomorphosites of Colombia”. Asabotanistbytraining,Ihavedevotedagoodpartofmylifetocarryingoutfieldworkin many regions of Colombia. I have always been impressed by the beauty of the country´s landscapes and, as a college professor I tried to impress on my students how, as field biol- ogists, they would be among the luckiest people on Earth because they would have the opportunity to see sites no one else encounters in their regular, day-to-day, city life. A general geology course, good as it was, did not really give me an appreciation for the geomorphological context in which geological features existed. Therefore, I liked landscapes for what they were, seen by fairly uneducated eyes. Now,inthisbook,IfindthatmanyofthelandscapesIusedtovisitarebeingdescribedand analyzed from the geomorphological standpoint. Places like the “Bogotá savanna” (where I havelivedmostofmylife),Chicamocha(oneofthefirstamazingplacesIvisitedasastudent intheearly1960s),Tatacoa,Guatavita,Tota,Galerazamba,willnowhaveanewmeaningfor meandforthosewhoreadthebook.TheenthusiasmwithwhichProf.MichelHermelinrefers tothelandscapesofColombiaconveystothereadertheimportanceandthemeaningofthese geomorphosites.ProfessorHermelinmakesitclearthatgeomorphositesarevaluablenotonly from the scientific point of view, but also from the cultural, aesthetic, and even historical perspectives. The group of authors that has contributed to the book could not be better. They are experiencedscientistswhohavestudiedtheselandscapesindetailandwho,therefore,provide first hand insights into their characteristics, scientific value, current state, threats, and opportunities. As an example, Prof. Hermelin himself has devoted his life to the study of geomorphology, environmental geology, and tropical landscapes, among other similarly important subjects. EAFIT University takes, once again, a leadership role in supporting geological studies of excellentquality,givingColombiamuchneededinstrumentsforappropriatedecisionmaking aswell asfor theappreciationofthesepoorlyknowntreasures. Fromnow on,Colombiawill not only be known by its rich biodiversity and diversity of climates and cultures, but also by the beauty and value of its wonderful landscapes and geomorphosites. These two words shouldbecomepartofthevocabularyofscientists,politicians,students,decisionmakers,and, most importantly, the general public who will be able to enjoy, respect, protect, and defend them based on scientifically sound arguments. vii viii Foreword The Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences welcomes with open arms this publication because it increases the level of knowledge of our natural world and because it will play an important role in advancing the understanding and appreciation of scienceinthecountry.Thebookis,nodoubt,animportantadditiontotheinternationalseries of publications on World Geomorphological Landscapes. Enrique Forero President Colombian Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences Preface When I was contacted by Edgardo Latrubesse, at that time Latin American representative oftheInternationalAssociationofGeomorphologists,IfeltthatadreamIhadbeencaressing for several years was becoming real: he proposed that I prepare a book on Colombia for the seriesWorldGeomorphologicalLandscapes.Thechallengewasambitiousanddemanding, butitwasfinallycarriedoutthankstothegenerouscollaborationofseveralfriendlycolleagues and institutions. Why does the interest for the landscapes of Colombia, a country with such a diversity in climatic and biologic aspects, happen so late? Several hypotheses can be established. From the historical standpoint, the Spaniards, who conqueredthecountryinthefifteenthcentury,considerednatureanenemy:infact,mosquito- transmitted fevers and other tropical diseases killed certainly more Spanish soldiers than the braveIndianwarriors.Ontheotherhand,theserapaciousadventurersweremoreinterestedin gold than in landscape inventory or contemplation. Chroniclers’ reports tend to confirm this supposition.Furthermore,rulesdictatedbytheSevillaCounciloftheIndiesobligedSpaniards to live in cities, isolated from the countryside. ThefirstdescriptionofColombianlandscapescamefromEuropeantravelers,fromtheend of the eighteenth to the middle of the nineteenth century: Bouguer, Humboldt, Boussingault, GosselmanandlaterHettner,Reclus,Crevaux,andothers.Themiddleofthenineteenthcentury was also the time when a quixotic adventure took place through the inspiration of President T.C. Mosquera and under the able direction of A. Codazzi, an Italian military engineer: the Comisión Corográfica (Chorographic Commission), which went across almost the entire countryfrom1850to1859andleftmaps,pictures,andreports,wasunfortunatelypublishedat thattimeinanerraticmanner.Thisnationalexpedition—liketheothertravelers—hadtoface great difficulties to carry on their task: the three jungle-covered cordilleras form tremendous naturalbarriers.SteamshipnavigationalongtheMagdalenaRiveronlybecamereliableatthe endofthenineteenthcentury,whenthefirstrailroadswerebuilt.Atthattime,ittookabout10 daystotravelfromBogotátoCartagenaand8daystoreachMedellín.Itisunderstandablethat airplanes,whichstartedtocoverdomesticitinerariesjustafterWorldWarI,areconsideredas thefirst real integrators ofthe Colombianation. Since the last three decades of the past century, guerrillas and illegal drug-trafficking activities were also an important inconvenience for tourism, a situation that has diminished significantlyinrecentyears.Nowadays,mostoftheroadscanbetakenwithoutanyrisk.This is reflected by the abundance of tourist guides published in English and French. Little by little, Colombians have learned how valuable their landscapes are through the works of scientists, writers, and painters. And thanks to the development of roads and gov- ernmenteffortstofosterdomesticandinternationaltourism,manypeoplehavebeguntoenjoy thenaturalbeautiesofthiscountry,wherenotonlylandscapesareworthseeingbutwhichalso possesses attractive cities, such as Cartagena, Popayán, Bogotá, Mompox, and famous archeological sites like San Agustín and Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City in the Snowy Santa Marta Massif). ix x Preface The geomorphosites selected are located in the western part of the country. They were selected due to their easy, secure access. Others are missing, such as the Chiribiquete Ridge and the Mavicure Mounts, which belong to the Amazonian domain. Both deserve aesthetic and scientific interest but require costly air trips to be reached. Duringthepast60years,firstasastudentandthenasageologist,Ihavehadtheprivilege totravelacrossthiscountryusingallthepossibletransports,fromwalkingtomuleandcanoe to helicopter. IhopethisbookmaybeusefultotransmittheverydeepenthusiasmIstillfeelwhenfacing the many beautiful landscapes of Colombia. August 2014 Michel Hermelin