Puncak Jaya Height report
Puncak Jaya is located in Papua Province, Indonesia, formerly known as Puntjak Sukarno, also known as Gunung Carstensz or Carstensz Pyramid, with geographic coordinates 04°04′44″S 137°9′30″E. It is the highest peak in New Guinea, the highest peak in Oceania, and the highest island peak in the world.
Puncak Jaya belongs to the Sudirman Mountains, west of the Central Plateau of the island of New Guinea, where the Ngga Palu Peak is the highest point in the Southwest Pacific and the highest point among the islands in the world. 1909 Dutchman Hendrik A. Lorentz's first snowfield in Puncak Jaya. In 1962, Austrian climber Heinrich Harrer led an expedition to the summit.
The Indonesian name is Puncak Jaya, while Carstensz Pyramid is the European name for the first European to sight the mountain, Jan Carstensz. He first saw Puncak Jaya on a sailing journey in 1623. Other Europeans did not believe his sighting, as Carstensz claimed that Puncak Jaya was topped with glaciers and snow.
Puncak Jaya Introduction
Puncak Jaya is part of the Seven Summits challenge in mountaineering. The Seven Summit is a challenge where mountaineers climb the tallest mountain on every continent. Despite having the lowest elevation, Puncak Jaya has considered one of the most technically difficult of the Seven Summit climbs. Since Puncak Jaya is geographically part of Oceania, it is officially considered the highest peak in Oceania.
Puncak Jaya is notable for being one of the few tropical or equatorial mountains with glaciers. The peak is covered with ice and snow all year round. However, the Carstensz glacier and the Northwall Firn glaciers have shrunk in recent years due to climate change.
Geological Evolution
The formation of Puncak Jaya is related to the subduction and collision of the passive northern margin of the Australian continent under the Melanesian island arc since the Miocene. For 2.8 million years, the rock uplift of Puncak Jaya has been 7000 meters, the uplift rate is 2.5 mm/year, and its erosion rate is 0.7 mm/year. For 2.3 million years, the rock uplift range is 6500 meters, the uplift rate is 2.88 mm/year, and the denudation rate is 1.7 mm/year. The further south may be the Precambrian greenschist distribution area. The denudation rate is faster; the denuded depth has reached 9000 meters, which is the deepest denuded area on the island. The strong cutting and denudation make Puncak Jaya the highest peak in Oceania under the strong influence of balanced uplift.
Height Of Puncak Jaya
At 4,884m (16,024ft), although it has the lowest elevation of the Seven Summit, Puncak Jaya is the only peak, specifically a rock climbing peak, and it has the highest technical rating. And it requires a trek through the remote jungle to reach the base camp.
Climate and Vegetation
The average temperature in western Guinea is moderate at 25 degrees Celsius. However, the climate characteristic is the heavy and frequent rains, which pattern between 2500 and 4000 mm of precipitation per year on the landscape. As is usual for tropical areas, the climate is mostly muggy and has high humidity. The base of the Carstensz Pyramid is covered with dense jungle. Tropical plants and animal species are predominant.
Final Words
Few people have climbed Carstensz due to a history of political instability in the area and the difficulty of its location deep in dense jungle. The normal way to reach the mountain is a six-day, 67 km trek through the jungle from the village of Ilaga or Sugapa, which is reached by a light aircraft from the town of Nabire. The natural environment is very diverse and often challenging. It can be climbed all year round, but it is one of the most difficult of the Seven Summits despite being the lowest.
