Puente del Inca (Puente del Inca)
Puente del Inca (English "Bridge of the Inca"), is a natural arch that forms a bridge over the Las Cuevas River, a tributary of the Mendoza River. It is located near the small village of Puente del Inca, Mendoza, in Las Heras Department, Mendoza Province, Argentina. The nearby hot springs are also named Puente del Inca.
While Puente del Inca has shown signs of deterioration, it remains stable under its weight under present conditions. Factors of safety ranging from 1.5 to 3.0 have been estimated for the arch.
Both glaciers and the hot springs were involved in the formation of the arch. During an ice age, glaciers would have expanded down throughout the entire valley; then, at the end of the ice age when the Earth began to warm up again, the retreating ice would have left behind massive piles of eroded debris. The water that flows from the hot springs is extremely rich in mineral content, to the point that it has been known to petrify small objects in a layer of minerals. Similarly, the piles of debris left by the glaciers were encrusted over time into a single solid mass. Finally, during a period where the climate was extremely wet, a powerful river formed in the valley. It cut a channel through the lower, least encrusted layers of debris, which gradually eroded into the large opening of the arch.
While Puente del Inca has shown signs of deterioration, it remains stable under its weight under present conditions. Factors of safety ranging from 1.5 to 3.0 have been estimated for the arch.
Both glaciers and the hot springs were involved in the formation of the arch. During an ice age, glaciers would have expanded down throughout the entire valley; then, at the end of the ice age when the Earth began to warm up again, the retreating ice would have left behind massive piles of eroded debris. The water that flows from the hot springs is extremely rich in mineral content, to the point that it has been known to petrify small objects in a layer of minerals. Similarly, the piles of debris left by the glaciers were encrusted over time into a single solid mass. Finally, during a period where the climate was extremely wet, a powerful river formed in the valley. It cut a channel through the lower, least encrusted layers of debris, which gradually eroded into the large opening of the arch.
Map - Puente del Inca (Puente del Inca)
Map
Country - Argentina
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| Flag of Argentina | |
The earliest recorded human presence in modern-day Argentina dates back to the Paleolithic period. The Inca Empire expanded to the northwest of the country in Pre-Columbian times. The country has its roots in Spanish colonization of the region during the 16th century. Argentina rose as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish overseas viceroyalty founded in 1776. The declaration and fight for independence (1810–1818) was followed by an extended civil war that lasted until 1861, culminating in the country's reorganization as a federation. The country thereafter enjoyed relative peace and stability, with several waves of European immigration, mainly Italians and Spaniards, radically reshaping its cultural and demographic outlook; over 60% of the population has full or partial Italian ancestry, and Argentine culture has significant connections to Italian culture.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARS | Argentine peso | $ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |
| FR | French language |
| DE | German language |
| GN | Guarani language |
| IT | Italian language |
| ES | Spanish language |