Machupicchu to Lake Titicaca railway, 516 km through the High Andes and Altiplano, mostly above 4000m.
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Cusco
The political capital of the Incas - historical and architectural interest
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Where do most rockfalls occur?
50km North of Cusco, in heavily jointed volcanic rocks - there are many igneous rock outcrops here.
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Which river does the track run by?
Sacred Valley, a tributary of the Amazon-Urubamba River - heavy sediment load - aggradation of the channel - reduces capacity of bridges which carry the track
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Event
Dredging of tributaries to stop flooding - does not stop the rockfalls themselves. Interferes with natural flow of sediment downstream
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Vulnerability
Train passengers given shovels to clear debris from the track - cheap, efficient, takes little time
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Loss
Rockfalls are accepted as inevitable, so are cleared after the event. However, clearing away debris exacerbates the issue because it removes basal support of the slide
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Cusco
Back
The political capital of the Incas - historical and architectural interest
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