Selected geosites and geotourist objects in Colca Canyon and its vicinity ( Southern Peru )

This article presents several selected geotourism attractions and phenomena located in the Rio Colca Valley and its surroundings. The basis for the assessment of geotourist potential of the studied region was an inventory of geotourist attractions. Then a primary evaluation of geotourist sites was performed based on the following valorisation criteria developed by the author: educational-cognitive assets, landscape-visual assets, architecture-cultural assets and recreational-resting assets. The reconnaissance study shows the richness of bioand geodiversity of the region as well as its unique landscape values, which have to bee protected. So the main goal of further activity has to be focused to give the scientific base for future creation here The Colca Canyon National Park.


Introduction
Under this framework, the Colca Valley and its fragment which forms the deepest canyon of the Word is the region of unquestionable values.The unusual geodiversity, extraordinary landscape as well as the fame and interest associated with the canyon make this region particularly outstanding.The region is even more appealing as active geological processes can be observed here easily.Many tourists are also at- tracted by a possibility of watching here the winged rulers of this region -the condors, while other visitors -by an option for checking their physical fitness during expeditions to the canyon floor.
Thus, geodiversity comprises diversified geological settings, rocks and soils, tectonic structures, evolution of erosional forms as well as morphological development of landforms and watercourses.What is more, it is the geodiversity which often controls the biodiversity.Both these attributes coupled with anthropogenic impact on the environment generate diversity which in turn adds to the landscape attractiveness.
Visiwble indications of the geodiversity are geosites (geotops) -some elements of abiotic nature, which give a clear and distinct information about geological development of lithospfere and about the history of the life of on earth (Serrano, Ruiz-Fano, 2009).Geosites are usually divided into three main groups: geological exposures (representing various geologic branches), geomorphosites, and hydrogeological geotopes (Brushi, Cendrero, 2009).All of them have to characterize significant scientific and educational values, as well as some other additional features like: scenic, cultural, aesthetic, socio-economic.Many geosites are used to be the geotourist attractions.By definition (Słomka, Kicińska-Świderska, 2004), the geotourist attractions are geologic objects as well as phenomena which might be of interest to visitors.However, to make them really appealing, they need to be made easily accessible and promoted.A fundamental issue in this respect is information about potential sites combined with their comprehensive characteristics, valorisation and concepts on making them accessible.A unique attribute of geotourist attractions are their sizes which, as a rule, are not confined.Thus, vast morphological landforms or hydrogeological objects as well as singular exposures or outcropping fragments, which reveal interesting geologic profiles, mineral-petrographic occurrences, small geomorphic forms, springs, caves or mining pits etc. can be geosites of equal degree of interest.
Examination of geotourist potential of the Colca Canyon and its vicinity was one of the research tasks of the exploration expeditions undertaken by scientists from the University of Science and Technology (AGH) and other Polish research institutions in 2006 and 2008.
The author is grateful to the expedition organizers for making her participation in the inter-disciplinary team possible as well as for enabling her own studies.

Methods of the study
The basis for the assessment of geotourist potential of the studied region was an inventory of geotourist attractions.The inventory was based on different source materials including archive documentaries, which were made available by the local authorities.Moreover, representatives of local authori- A primary evaluation of geotourist sites was performed based on the following valorisation criteria developed by the author (Radwanek-Bąk, 2008): -scientific-cognitive assets -landscape-visual assets -architecture-cultural assets -recreational-resting assets.
-accessibility The first out of the above listed is the crucial criterion to accept a given object as the geotop.
The remaining criteria are additional attributes, which can but need not to co-occur in all geotourist objects or phenomena.Nevertheless, at least one of these additional criteria must be satisfied in order to consider the given object the geotourist attraction rather than to treat the object as important from strictly geological viewpoint.
During the field work, which lasted almost a month, the information on several tens of objects and phenomena that might be potential geotourist attractions, was verified.
The area of interest comprised the Colca Valley starting form the settlement of Callalli to Huambo region as well as the Valley of Volcanoes (Fig. 1).The latter runs crosswise to the Colca Valley axis.The Mamacocha and Ayo rivers, draining the Valley of the Volcano floor, join the Colca River in its canyon section.

The Colca Valley
The Colca River starts high in the Andes on the slopes of Yanasalla Mt. (4886 m a.s.l.) which perches above the high plateau, the latter being the southern part of the Altiplano.In its upper course the river flows in uninhabited regions and cuts young deposits formed from weathered volcanic rocks, mainly tuffs andesite lavas.The latter are associated with the Miocene-Pliocene volcanisms.The Tacaza Group includes several formations comprising older Miocene volcanic rocks (Paulo, 2008).Wonderfully developed ignimbrite formations (of tuff variety) with characteristic columnar joints can be observed in the upper reaches of the Colca Valley close to Callalli (Fig. 2).Because of its thermal properties and easy processing, ignimbrite is a common dimension stone all over the Arequipa province.
Sibayo is one of the first permanent settlements in the upper reach of the valley, while Chivay, the local administrative and tourist centre, is the most important one.Between Chivay in the east and Huambao in the west, the Colca Valley is surrounded by high startovolcanoes.These are Nevado Mismi (5597 m a.s.l.) and Nevado Bomboya (5 200 m a.s.l.) in the north, Nevado Coropuna (6 425 m a.s.l.) in the distance of 0 km to the north-west, and Nevado Hualca-Hualca (6 025 m a.s.l.), Sabancaya (5976 m a.s.l.) and Ampato (6314 m a.s.l.) in the south.Their activity that has been lasting since the Pliocene is evidenced by thick volcanic-sedimentary deposits (Fidel et al., 1997), which include andesite, dacite and dacite-andesite lavas as well as tuffs, andesite breccias and conglomerates.Their vary-aged complexes form the Barroso Group (Caldas, 1993).Below Chivay the character of the Colca Valley changes significantly.The river cutting its thick bedrock has formed several terrace levels, but their primary appearance has been drastically changed by human activity.Owing to favourable climatic conditions and fertile soils developed on volcanic bedrock this part of the valley has been inhabited and farmed since the pre-Inca times (Wernke, 2003).
The discussed section of the valley is believed to be a geotourist attraction which provides opportunities for learning the main geological setting and rock varieties, and even more, for tracing geomorphology that has been modified due anthropogenic impact lasting for centuries (Fig. 3).The viewpoints enable thorough observations.In the valley there are also other, yet smaller, geotourist attractions, including the sites where particular geological phenomena can be observed: -Maca-Madrigal fault zone (Fig. 4); -active landslide with some ponds near Madrigal city (Fig. 5).
Apart from strictly educational value these site have highly appreciated landscape.
A different type of geotourist attractions is associated with thermal waters occurring in the discussed area.These waters are plentiful but of limited discharges, so they are operated from a few intakes only.The most important are La Calera in Chivay (Fig. 6) and springs in Yanque where swimming pools have been built.
Diatomites in Maca (Fig. 7) are mineralogic-petrographic geotourist attractions.These organogenic rocks comprising skeletons of diatoms are good evidence of fresh water basin which had to be present here in the past.Concentration of diatoms was likely favoured by low temperature of water and by a high content of dissolved silica, which probably originated from volcanic deposits that are common here.
Numerous outcrops of lake deposits, which are often thick, substantiate the presence of fresh water bodies in this region.These lacustrine deposits are silty and finely laminated, and sometimes even obliquely laminated (Fig. 8).The liminic series comprise intercalations of coarse clastic alluvial deposits (Kalicki, Kukulak, 2008).The presence of liminic deposits is likely associated with a large eruption of Mismi volcano that took place at the turn of the Pliocene and Quaternary.The outcrops of the discussed deposits can be treated as sedimentological attractions of high educational value.Observations of these outcrops, inter-correlations and age determination can contribute to refining the geological history of the valley, and particularly to verifying the timing of the Colca Canyon Formation.

The Colca Canyon in the section between Pinchollo and Canco
The Colca Canyon starts close to Pinchollo.It is ca 120 km long and in its deepest spot reaches 3232 m.The access to it is limited and tourists are allowed only to the section between Pinchollo and Canco, where the canyon depth (to the valley level) reaches ca.1800 m.Some trails from Pinchollo, Cabanaconde and Huambo descend to the canyon floor.It is also possible to access the canyon from the Valley of the Volcanoes and Ayo city but that descend requires a good skill.The canyon fragment down of Canco is hardly accessible, as this is the deepest part surrounded by waterless and unpopulated terrains (for example in the region of Gloriahuasi).Lack of water and the necessity of crossing long distances as well as significant height differences are the major difficulties, which potential tourists to the canyon floor will face.Other trouble might be related to steep and fragile rocks forming the canyon walls.In the region, which is the most popular among the tourists, close to Cabanaconde, the canyon walls are mainly built of thick complexes of volcanic rocks representing the above described formations of the Tacaza and Barroso groups (Fig. 9).The older sedimentary rocks of the Yura Group, from the Jurassic (Oxfordian -Kimmeridgian) to the Early

Valley of the Volcanoes
The Valley of the Volcanoes, ca.60 km long, is a side valley of the Colca Valley.Considering geology, the valley is a tectonic trough filled up with the Neogene tuffs overlain by the very young Pleistocene lavas of the Andahua Formation (Gałaś, Paulo, 2005).Dwarf volcanoes, which form regular cones, are numerous here (Fig. 11).According to various source documentaries they amount from at least 31 up to 85 (Krzak, 2005).
The visit to the Valley of the Volcanoes is an opportunity for observing almost real-time effects of the volcanic activity such as formation of volcanoes or lava streams.The lavas are predominated by dark or dark-grey aphanitic varieties while porphyric lavas of andesite type occur more rarely (Delacour et al. 2002).Differentiated vegetation cover helps to discriminate the youngest plant-overgrown lava streams.The "moon-like" landscape of the Valley of the Volcanoes is another attraction due to unique visual assets.
Other interesting sites in the Valley of the Volcanoes, like Shanquillay waterfalls of the Andagua River and Chachas and Mamachocha lakes, can also be considered the geotourist attractions.

Buildings
The objects, which can be treated as geotourist attractions comprise also various buildings, including churches or their fragments built of stones.The church in Yanque is likely the most beautiful masterpiece of stonework in this region.It is built of tuffs and has the richly sculptured frontage as well as plentiful floral ornaments (Fig. 12).Other churches, which can be spotted even in the small towns (Chivay, Lari, Maca, Madrigal, Coporaque, Pinchollo, Cosnirhua, Tapay, Ayo, Andagua etc.), should be rather treated as objects of cultural heritage of this region.History of the majority of these churches is some centuries-long.They are austere and posses a few architectural details, nevertheless their unique elements and interesting interiors appeal especially to the foreigners.Even though the churches are usually built of tuffs (ignimbrites), the dimension stones cannot be admired as the walls are usually plastered and the original rock material and stony decorative elements are masked.
The briefly outlined geotourist objects of the Colca Canyon and its vicinity are only a small portion of the huge assortment.During the undertaken expedition several tens of abiotic environmental items under definition of the geotourist attraction have been inventorized.The majority of them are and climatic zoning, from high-mountain to tropical belts, related to changes in the altitude (Cykowska, Flakus, 2008).
The performed studies are only primary.The analysis of the collected archive materials, extent of the study area, diversity of geology and morphological forms as well as the performed field reconnaissance suggest that much more object could be assigned as geotourist attractions.This justifies the need for further studies.Apart from inventories, document-
Pierwsze z wymienionych mają decydujące znaczenie dla uznania obiektu jako geotop.Przy kwalifikacji geostanowisk jako atrakcji geoturystycznych należy wziąć pod uwagę również pozostałe elementy, w tym w szczególności dostęp-ing and valorisation of the objects in question, indispensable issues for promoting them as attractive to tourist interests comprise: appropriate and appealing descriptions, delineation of walking and trekking trails and estimation of associated development and maintenance costs.The tourist-addressed promotions to be undertaken have to be coupled with protection framework aiming at complex preserving of animate and inanimate nature of this unique world region. Selected geosites and geotourist objects in Colca Canyon and its vicinity (Southern Peru) ność, która w zasadniczy sposób wpływa na ilość turystów odwiedzających dany obiekt.