Llaca Glacier, Glacier in Huascaran National Park, Peru

Llaca Glacier begins at 6,123 m in a cirque below the Ocshapalca and Ranrapalca peaks and descends to 4,500 m, where the Llaca lagoon sits at its front. It covers 4.68 km², is about 2.6 km long and up to 4.7 km wide. Its lower course is covered by a continuous layer of debris that gives the ice a grey-black colour.

This glacier formed thousands of years ago as ice accumulated in the high mountains and has shifted with climate changes over time. By the mid-1900s scientists started carefully tracking its size to understand what was happening to the ice.

Local farmers in the valleys below depend on glacial melt to water their crops and fill their irrigation canals. This water source has shaped how people live and farm in these high mountain areas for centuries.

The glacier is reached from Huaraz by road to the Laguna Llaca, at the foot of the terminal front, where the ice is easily accessible. The debris-covered lower tongue begins at 4,800 m and runs unbroken to the front. Warm layers and sturdy footwear are needed at this altitude.

This glacier serves as a living laboratory where scientists measure how ice has shrunk over recent decades. The data collected here helps researchers worldwide understand how climate change affects mountain ice systems.