Inca City In Landslide Danger

Machu Picchu, the so-called 'lost city of the Incas' in Peru is in danger of being engulfed by landslides according to a report in the current issue of New Scientist Magazine.

The story has been picked up by both The Times and The Telegraph and the gist of it is that a team of geologists investigating the immediate area have discovered that the city is slipping downwards at a rate of 4/10 of an inch per month.

The Japanese geologist leading the study, Kyoji Sassa, said: "This is quite fast, and it's a precursor stage of a rockfall or a rock slide. It's not possible to say exactly when the landslide might occur, but that will be the focus of the next stage of our research."

He goes on to say that any estimated landslide would be 300 feet deep and would be sufficient to engulf the ruins, probably in two stages.

In classic national newspaper style, the Telegraph chooses to perpetuate the myth that Machu Picchu was the last Inca refuge from the Spanish conquistadors, in fact some research suggests that the city was probably abandoned before the Spaniards even arrived.

For information on the introduction of new Inca Trail regulations, see the links to previous OUTDOORSmagic articles below.