El Cañón del Chicamocha was a home for people long before the Spanish arrived in South America. Archaeologists have found many artifacts and even pictographs made by the indigenous Guane people who originally lived in the canyon. Communities and groups interested in preserving the canyon and all its wonders have been finding ways to protect the land and all the amazing living things that inhabit the canyon. Part of the way people will be adapting to this environment going forward is learning how best to protect it!
Curious about how geology affects you where you are? Some of the ways it affects us aren't so obvious, but living here in Colombia I have learned so much about how the geology that formed mountains and valleys and changed the landscape here created conditions that allow for so much biodiversity. Organisms like the ceiba barrigona have had to evolve (or change over time) to live in unique environments...like the Chicamocha Canyon and other geologically extreme areas. Another way geology has an obvious effect here in this part of Colombia is through earthquakes. Check out this link to a map of the most recent seismic activity in the world that the United State Geological Survey updates regularly. What was the most recent seismic event that is closest to you?
