PUNCAK JAYA, HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN INDONESIA
Source: westpapuadiary.com
Puncak Jaya is one of the seven tallest mountains in the world. Located at an altitude of 4,884 meters above sea level, this makes Puncak Jaya is the tallest mountain in Indonesia.
Puncak Jaya was discovered in 1623 by Dutch explorer Jan Carstenszoon, who saw the glacier on its summit on a clear day. Then, in early 1909, Dutch explorer Hendrik Albert Lorenz reached the summit and described the expedition. Although rediscovered by Hendrik Albert Lorenz, the name of this peak has acquired a different character from its original Dutch discoverer, John Kirstenz. Eventually, a Dutch expedition made a map there and confirmed John Carstensz’s report.
Puncak Jaya is notorious for its difficult terrain and was not climbable until 1962. The conqueror was an expedition team consisting of Philip Temple, Russel Kippax, and Albertus Huizenga and headed by Heinrich Harrer.
Source: img.huffingtonpost.com
Part of the Lorenz National Park, the area around Puncak Jaya is still covered by tropical glaciers. In fact, this glacier in Papua is one of the three remaining tropical glaciers on Earth. Other glaciers are common in the Andes Mountains, Peru, and throughout Africa. These two tropical glaciers share the same fate as Papua’s glacier, which is beginning to shrink.
Shrinking glaciers are caused by climate change. Scientists predict that Puncak Jaya’s glaciers will disappear by 2026. However, this process could be faster and will be entirely gone in 2021.
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