Satellite images from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 program have confirmed a tragic milestone for global glaciology. The Cerros de la Plaza glacier, located in El Cocuy National Natural Park, Colombia, has completely disappeared. According to data from IDEAM and the European Space Agency, a 5.5 km² ice mass documented in 2016 progressively shrank until its total extinction in March 2026, a process we can now analyze and simulate in 3D. 🧊
Temporal reconstruction and melting simulation 🎬
For experts in 3D modeling of catastrophes, this case offers a perfect sequence of data. Using multispectral images from the Sentinel-2 satellites (bands 8, 4, and 3 for snow and ice analysis), we can reconstruct the original geometry of the glacier in 2016. The simulation process involves generating a base polygonal mesh of the terrain and applying a progressive degradation algorithm. By comparing images from 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2026, a 100% volume loss is observed. The ideal tool for this animation is Blender or Houdini, where we can use displacement maps to visualize the reduction in ice thickness and the retreat of the glacier front.
The visual impact of a lost baseline 🌍
Beyond the technical data, the disappearance of Cerros de la Plaza represents the loss of a critical climate indicator. In our renders, we can contrast the icy landscape of 2016 with the rocky, exposed ground of 2026. This type of visualization not only documents the disaster but also serves as an awareness tool. By modeling the before and after, simulators can generate interactive infographics showing how climate change is rewriting the geography of the tropical Andes, a particularly vulnerable ecosystem.
Is it possible that the 3D modeling of the disappearance of the Cerros de la Plaza glacier can accurately predict the immediate geomorphological impact on adjacent valleys, and if so, what critical variables must be included in the software to correctly simulate the collapse and subsequent debris dynamics?
(PS: Simulating catastrophes is fun until your computer crashes and you are the catastrophe.)