All photos by Jim Reynolds Rapid alluvial fan sedimentation is a constant problem in the Quebrada de Humahuaca in the Cordillera Oriental of Jujuy Province. The major road and railroad to Bolivia are situated in the valley. Both are subject to burial from flash floods emanating from side canyons. The railroad no longer services this area.
Bad things happen when debris flows come to visit.
This house and the adjacent railroad station buildings near Purmamarca were filled with a debris flow during an event in the early 1980's. The buildings were abandoned but the railroad was excavated. Nature eventually won out. By the late 1980's the constant maintenance required to clear the debris flows caused the railroad to shut down too. Buried roadbeds, railroad tracks, and bridges are an almost annual problem in the Quebrada de Humahuaca.