Difference between revisions of "Atacama Desert" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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Despite extremes and desolation there is stunning beauty. With the Andes as a backdrop the desert contains five snow topped volcanoes which are the highest volcanoes in the world and the highest elevations in South America.
 
Despite extremes and desolation there is stunning beauty. With the Andes as a backdrop the desert contains five snow topped volcanoes which are the highest volcanoes in the world and the highest elevations in South America.
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== Section name ==
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[[Image:Valle de la luna san pedro chile.jpg|thumb|300px|Scene from Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) near San Pedro de Atacama.]]
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The Atacama Desert ecoregion occupies a continuous strip for nearly 1,600 km along the narrow coast of the northern third of Chile from near Arica (18°24' S) southward to near La Serena (29°55' S) (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997). This desert is a sparsely populated virtually rainless plateau, running east from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes Mountains. The average width is less than 100 km. The xeric conditions extend up to1,500 masl on the drier slopes (Börgel 1973). The faulted coastal mountains (mostly 500-1000 m high) are composed of Cretaceous sediments (limestone and sandstone) over more ancient masses of crystalline rocks (Lustig 1970).
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The Atacama Desert is considered to be one of the driest coastal deserts in the world. Vegetation must contend with an annual rainfall of 0.6 mm in Arica and 2.1 mm in Iquique. The Atacama becomes slightly less arid as it moves southward. The average monthly temperatures in Iquique range from 14.5 oC in September to 21 oC in March (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997).
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Topography and substrate combine to influence the patterns of moisture availability and areas of suitable habitat. Where isolated mountains or steep coastal slopes intercept the clouds, a fog zone develops with a stratus layer concentrated against the hillsides. The moisture allows the development of fog-zone plant communities termed "lomas" (small hills) near the coast and in lower portions of numerous gorges ("quebradas") between sea level and 1,100 m. These plant formations also have been called the fertile belt, fog oases or meadows on the desert. Plant communities of the lomas consist of mixtures of annual and short-lived perennial and woody scrub vegetation.
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The northern coastal zone has almost no vegetation. Among some of the few plant species found in this zone are cacti growing over 500 m- Eulychnia iquiquensis and Copiapoa sp. Near Iquique, there is large community of Tillandsia landbeckii growing at 990-1,100 m (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997). The valleys along streams support plant communities that are composed of trees Prosopis chilensis, P. tamarugo, Salix humboldtiana, Schinus aareira, Acacia macrantha and Caesalpinia tinctoria and other shrubby and herbaceous plants (Roig 1999). On slopes moistened by drizzle during the winter, sparse strands of Tillandsia spp. may exist in association with a few lichens.
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Near the town of Antofagastsa, the region is practically devoid of vegetation except for Eulychnia iquiquensis and Copiapoa sp. Only some brush plants occur along the coastal plateaus, dependent for survival on the moisture of persistent fog, they include Heliotropium pycnophyllum, Ephedra breana and Lycium deserti (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997). In places away from the area of fog formation, the desert is almost lifeless. In these areas, even decomposition does not occur. Dead vegetation may be thousands of years old (Roig 1999).
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The southern Atacama desert has a fog-zone vegetation with approximately 230 species of vascular plants. Euphorbia lactiflua and Eulychnia iquiquensis are dominant species in the central area of this zone. Other shrubby species in the zone include Echinopsis coquimbana, Oxalis gigantea, Lycium stenophyllum, Proustia cuneifolia, Croton chilensis, Balbisia penduncularis and Tillandsia geissei. Bromeliads are also present along the coastal flats in this southern part, and include Deuterocohni chrysantha and Puya boliviensis (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997).
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The southernmost area in the ecoregion is near Chañaral. This area has communities of shrubs such as Skytnathus acutus, Encelia canescens, Frankenia chilensis, and Nolana rostrata. Annuals and perennials include Perityle emoryi, Oenothera coquimbensis, Ademia latistipula, Atragalus coquimbensis, Cruckshanksia verticillata, Fagonia chilensis and Tetragonia angustifolia (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997).
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==Geography of the Atacama==
 
==Geography of the Atacama==
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[[Image:Valle de la luna san pedro chile.jpg|thumb|300px|Scene from Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) near San Pedro de Atacama.]]
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The Atacama Desert has one of the most unique and seemingly hostile environments on the planet. Immediate surroundings are major contributing factors influencing its formation and physical characteristics. Just to the west and immediately below is the meeting point of the oceanic Nazca Plate and the continental South American Plate. The resultant tectonic action is constantly pushing the [[Andes]] ever higher and creates powerful volcanic and seismic activity. At the eastern edge of the Nazca Plate, 100 miles (160km) off the coast, the plate is subducted leaving the Peru-Chile (Atacama) Trench. It reaches a maximum depth of 26,460 feet (8,065 m) below sea level and is approximately 3,666 miles (5,900 km) long; it covers an expanse of some 228,000 square miles (590,000 square km). <ref> Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9059374/Peru-Chile-Trench#279744.hook  Peru-Chile-Trench], ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online''. Retrieved April 27, 2007 </ref> The proximity to this very large body of cold water has a substantial effect. Due mainly to the westerlies; prevailing winds which drive the cool ocean Humboldt Current (or Peru) through these cold waters. Ocean air is cooled by the current without moisture being retained to generate precipitation (clouds and fog are produced however). Also upwelling occurs off [[Peru]] year-round, but off [[Chile]] only during the spring and summer. Co-incidentally cold, nutrient-rich water brought to the surface by upwelling brings about extraordinary productivity resulting in the Humboldt Current supporting the world’s largest fisheries.
 
The Atacama Desert has one of the most unique and seemingly hostile environments on the planet. Immediate surroundings are major contributing factors influencing its formation and physical characteristics. Just to the west and immediately below is the meeting point of the oceanic Nazca Plate and the continental South American Plate. The resultant tectonic action is constantly pushing the [[Andes]] ever higher and creates powerful volcanic and seismic activity. At the eastern edge of the Nazca Plate, 100 miles (160km) off the coast, the plate is subducted leaving the Peru-Chile (Atacama) Trench. It reaches a maximum depth of 26,460 feet (8,065 m) below sea level and is approximately 3,666 miles (5,900 km) long; it covers an expanse of some 228,000 square miles (590,000 square km). <ref> Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9059374/Peru-Chile-Trench#279744.hook  Peru-Chile-Trench], ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online''. Retrieved April 27, 2007 </ref> The proximity to this very large body of cold water has a substantial effect. Due mainly to the westerlies; prevailing winds which drive the cool ocean Humboldt Current (or Peru) through these cold waters. Ocean air is cooled by the current without moisture being retained to generate precipitation (clouds and fog are produced however). Also upwelling occurs off [[Peru]] year-round, but off [[Chile]] only during the spring and summer. Co-incidentally cold, nutrient-rich water brought to the surface by upwelling brings about extraordinary productivity resulting in the Humboldt Current supporting the world’s largest fisheries.
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The '''Atacama border dispute''' was a border dispute between [[Chile]] and [[Bolivia]] in the 1800s that ended in Chilean annexation of all of the Bolivian Coast and the southern tip of Bolivia's ally [[Peru]], during the [[War of the Pacific]] (1879-1883). Later Peru and [[Argentina]] became involved in the dispute. Some still consider the dispute ongoing as Bolivia continues to claim a sovereign access to the [[Pacific Ocean]].
 
The '''Atacama border dispute''' was a border dispute between [[Chile]] and [[Bolivia]] in the 1800s that ended in Chilean annexation of all of the Bolivian Coast and the southern tip of Bolivia's ally [[Peru]], during the [[War of the Pacific]] (1879-1883). Later Peru and [[Argentina]] became involved in the dispute. Some still consider the dispute ongoing as Bolivia continues to claim a sovereign access to the [[Pacific Ocean]].
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== Border dispute ==
 
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[[Image:Tarapaca.jpg|thumb|left|Borders between Peru, Bolivia and Chile before the 1879 [[War of the Pacific]] (note: map does not faithfully represent some of the border, particularly the Bolivia-Argentina one.)]]
 
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The origins of the Atacama Border dispute came from the borders established in the [[Spanish Empire]] that defined the Atacama Desert simply as the northern border of the Kingdom of Chile. [[Bolivia]]n and [[Chile]]an historians disagree on whether the territory of Charcas, originally part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, later of the Viceroyalty of the [[Río de la Plata]] and ultimately of Bolivia, included access to the sea. Supporting their claims with different documents, Bolivians claim that it did while Chileans disagree. When [[Simón Bolívar]] established Bolivia as a nation, he claimed access to the sea, although most economic exploitation of the coastal region was conducted by Chilean companies and [[Great Britain|British]] interests, under the aegis of Chile's more robust economy and more stable institutions.
 
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The border dispute between [[Bolivia]] and [[Chile]] grew slowly during most of the 1800s over the Atacama Corridor, a part of the Atacama Desert which now forms northern Chile.  The Atacama Desert is bordered by the Coast Range on the west and the [[Andes Mountains]] on the east. The geography of the area was a very large factor in determining how the border dispute began. Because of the mountains, the area experiences rain only 2 to 4 times a century, making it one of the driest places on Earth.
 
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After the independence of Chile (1818) and Bolivia (1825) neither of the governments seemed concerned about defining its borders.
 
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National boundaries in the Atacama region had still not been definitely determined when [[nitrate]], [[silver]] and [[copper]] deposits were discovered in the area. Both Bolivia and Chile established competing claims for the territory. Other countries' interest was drawn due to the importance of nitrates in the production of [[fertilizer]] and [[high explosives]]. [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[Spain]] and the [[United States]] had a strategic and economic stake in controlling the resource. Chile's influence grew in the disputed zone as miners, some of them backed by Chilean as well as foreign companies, began to advance northward, establishing [[mining|mines]] and port facilities.
 
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National borders in the region had not been clearly agreed upon until 1866; the two countries had negotiated a treaty which established the 24th parallel as their boundary, and entitled both Bolivia and Chile to share in tax revenue on mineral exports out of the territory between the 23rd and 25th parallels. A second treaty in 1874 superseded this, entitling Bolivia to collect full tax revenue between the 23rd and 24th parallels, but fixed tax rates on Chilean companies for 25 years.  <ref> {{es icon}} [http://es.wikisource.org/wiki/Tratados_firmados_entre_Bolivia_y_Chile#Tratado_de_l.C3.ADmites_de_1866_entre_Bolivia_y_Chile Chile], ''Tratado de límites de 1866 entre Bolivia y Chile''.  Retrieved May 1, 2007. </ref>  Bolivia subsequently became dissatisfied at the arrangement, as Chilean interests backed by British capital quickly expanded and controlled the mining industry, and feared Chilean encroachment on its coastal region.
 
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==The War of the Pacific==
 
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The treaty made in 1874 allowed Chile to exploit the area without fees for a period of 25 years. Four years later, a new Bolivian government rejected the treaty and attempted to raise taxes on a Chilean nitrate company. As an answer to this action, the Chilean army occupied Antofagasta, a Bolivian city. Chile declared war on Bolivia in March 1879, and on Bolivia's secret ally, [[Peru]], in May 1879, which started the [[War of the Pacific]]. Within four years Chile defeated the joint war efforts of Bolivia and Peru. While Bolivian troops retreated from the disputed region early in the war, the Chilean Army had to occupy Peru's capital [[Lima]] in order to secure a peace treaty. 
 
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Under the terms of the Treaty of Ancón, Chile was to occupy the provinces of Tacna and Arica for 10 years, after which a [[plebiscite]] was to be held to determine their nationality. The two countries failed for decades to agree on the terms of the plebiscite. Finally in 1929, through the mediation of the [[United States]] under President [[Herbert Hoover]], an accord was reached through which Chile kept Arica; Peru reacquired Tacna, plus received $6 million indemnity and other concessions.
 
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At the end of the war, Chile acquired the Atacama Corridor (now Atacama Region) as well as the province of Antofagasta and the Peruvian Tarapacá, essentially turning Bolivia into a landlocked nation. In 1884, Bolivia signed a truce that gave control to Chile of the entire Bolivian coast, the province of Antofagasta, and its valuable [[nitrate]], [[copper]] and other [[mineral]] deposits. A treaty in 1904 solidified this agreement permanently. In return, Chile agreed to build a railroad connecting the Bolivian capital of [[La Paz]] with the port of Arica and guaranteed freedom of transit for Bolivian commerce through Chilean ports and territory.
 
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==Chilean proposal of 1978==
 
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In 1978 the [[Chile]]an government of [[Augusto Pinochet]] made a proposal to [[Bolivia]] that included the ceding of some Chilean ports, such as Tocopilla to Bolivia, but not a corridor that would split Chile into two. One of the suspected reasons for this strange proposal by the right-wing nationalistic military regime of Chile was the ongoing Beagle conflict with [[Argentina]] over Picton, Lennox and Nueva Islands near [[Cape Horn]]. Chile wanted to secure Bolivia's neutrality in the event war broke out.
 
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The proposal involved former Peruvian land. However, according to the treaty of Ancon, Chile could not give former Peruvian territories to other nations without Peru's agreement. The leftist dictator of Peru [[Francisco Morales Bermúdez]] opposed these changes but proposed to make Arica a territory governed jointly by the three states. Chile refused to accept this complicated shared sovereignty. Later that year Chile's relationship with Bolivia severed and diplomatic relations were broken. Today Chile and Bolivia still only maintains consular relations.
 
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==Recent history==
 
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Bolivia still holds claims on the Atacama Corridor, which Chile rejects, yet offers instead unrestricted but not sovereign [[maritime]] access through the territory for the export of Bolivian natural gas and other commodities. Today the territories lost by Bolivia and Peru provide the Chilean state nearly 40 percent of its income via the state–owned company CODELCO. 
 
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During the Bolivian Gas War the dispute rose again, as most Bolivians, including the president, opposed the future export of Bolivian gas trough Chilean territory. 
 
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As the 100 year anniversary of the the 1904 treaty approached, the words "gas-for-sea" became the slogan of people who opposed exportation.   
 
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The dispute became evident when Chilean president [[Ricardo Lagos]] faced the Bolivian president [[Carlos Mesa]] in the [[OEA]], as Mesa addressed the situation in an audience which included all the presidents of the Americas.
 
  
 
==Notes ==
 
==Notes ==
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* Braudel, Fernand, ''The perspective of the world'', New York, Harper & Row, 1984, ISBN 0060153172
 
* Braudel, Fernand, ''The perspective of the world'', New York, Harper & Row, 1984, ISBN 0060153172
 
* Sagaris, Lake, ''Bone and dream : into the world's driest desert'', Toronto, A.A. Knopf Canada, 2000, ISBN 0676972233   
 
* Sagaris, Lake, ''Bone and dream : into the world's driest desert'', Toronto, A.A. Knopf Canada, 2000, ISBN 0676972233   
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* Aarons, John; Vita-Finzi, Claudio, ''The useless land; a winter in the Atacama Desert'', London, R. Hale, 1960, OCLC 2649656
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* Aarons, John and  Claudio Vita-Finzi, , 1960. ''The useless land; a winter in the Atacama Desert'', London, R. Hale, OCLC 2649656
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* Roig, V. 1999. ''Atacama desert''. Encyclopedia of deserts. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman (Oklahoma).
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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[[Category:South America]]
 
[[Category:South America]]
  
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Revision as of 12:58, 25 June 2007


Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert of Chile covers the northern third of the country stretching 1,000km (600 miles) and straddles the southern border of Peru. Bound on the west by barren hills and mountains on the Pacific coast it extends east into the Andes mountains. At an average elevation of about 4 kilometers (13,000 feet) it is not only the highest desert in the world but also the driest. In some parts rainfall has never been recorded. Vegetation is almost non-existent with 0.6mm to 2.1mm of rain falling around the region. Average daily temperatures range between 0°C-25°C making the Atacama relatively cool compared with the Sahara or the Great Sandy desert's.

Despite extremes and desolation there is stunning beauty. With the Andes as a backdrop the desert contains five snow topped volcanoes which are the highest volcanoes in the world and the highest elevations in South America.

Section name

Scene from Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) near San Pedro de Atacama.

The Atacama Desert ecoregion occupies a continuous strip for nearly 1,600 km along the narrow coast of the northern third of Chile from near Arica (18°24' S) southward to near La Serena (29°55' S) (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997). This desert is a sparsely populated virtually rainless plateau, running east from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes Mountains. The average width is less than 100 km. The xeric conditions extend up to1,500 masl on the drier slopes (Börgel 1973). The faulted coastal mountains (mostly 500-1000 m high) are composed of Cretaceous sediments (limestone and sandstone) over more ancient masses of crystalline rocks (Lustig 1970).

The Atacama Desert is considered to be one of the driest coastal deserts in the world. Vegetation must contend with an annual rainfall of 0.6 mm in Arica and 2.1 mm in Iquique. The Atacama becomes slightly less arid as it moves southward. The average monthly temperatures in Iquique range from 14.5 oC in September to 21 oC in March (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997).

Topography and substrate combine to influence the patterns of moisture availability and areas of suitable habitat. Where isolated mountains or steep coastal slopes intercept the clouds, a fog zone develops with a stratus layer concentrated against the hillsides. The moisture allows the development of fog-zone plant communities termed "lomas" (small hills) near the coast and in lower portions of numerous gorges ("quebradas") between sea level and 1,100 m. These plant formations also have been called the fertile belt, fog oases or meadows on the desert. Plant communities of the lomas consist of mixtures of annual and short-lived perennial and woody scrub vegetation.

The northern coastal zone has almost no vegetation. Among some of the few plant species found in this zone are cacti growing over 500 m- Eulychnia iquiquensis and Copiapoa sp. Near Iquique, there is large community of Tillandsia landbeckii growing at 990-1,100 m (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997). The valleys along streams support plant communities that are composed of trees Prosopis chilensis, P. tamarugo, Salix humboldtiana, Schinus aareira, Acacia macrantha and Caesalpinia tinctoria and other shrubby and herbaceous plants (Roig 1999). On slopes moistened by drizzle during the winter, sparse strands of Tillandsia spp. may exist in association with a few lichens.

Near the town of Antofagastsa, the region is practically devoid of vegetation except for Eulychnia iquiquensis and Copiapoa sp. Only some brush plants occur along the coastal plateaus, dependent for survival on the moisture of persistent fog, they include Heliotropium pycnophyllum, Ephedra breana and Lycium deserti (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997). In places away from the area of fog formation, the desert is almost lifeless. In these areas, even decomposition does not occur. Dead vegetation may be thousands of years old (Roig 1999).

The southern Atacama desert has a fog-zone vegetation with approximately 230 species of vascular plants. Euphorbia lactiflua and Eulychnia iquiquensis are dominant species in the central area of this zone. Other shrubby species in the zone include Echinopsis coquimbana, Oxalis gigantea, Lycium stenophyllum, Proustia cuneifolia, Croton chilensis, Balbisia penduncularis and Tillandsia geissei. Bromeliads are also present along the coastal flats in this southern part, and include Deuterocohni chrysantha and Puya boliviensis (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997).

The southernmost area in the ecoregion is near Chañaral. This area has communities of shrubs such as Skytnathus acutus, Encelia canescens, Frankenia chilensis, and Nolana rostrata. Annuals and perennials include Perityle emoryi, Oenothera coquimbensis, Ademia latistipula, Atragalus coquimbensis, Cruckshanksia verticillata, Fagonia chilensis and Tetragonia angustifolia (Dillon and A. E. Hoffmann-J 1997).


Geography of the Atacama

The Atacama Desert has one of the most unique and seemingly hostile environments on the planet. Immediate surroundings are major contributing factors influencing its formation and physical characteristics. Just to the west and immediately below is the meeting point of the oceanic Nazca Plate and the continental South American Plate. The resultant tectonic action is constantly pushing the Andes ever higher and creates powerful volcanic and seismic activity. At the eastern edge of the Nazca Plate, 100 miles (160km) off the coast, the plate is subducted leaving the Peru-Chile (Atacama) Trench. It reaches a maximum depth of 26,460 feet (8,065 m) below sea level and is approximately 3,666 miles (5,900 km) long; it covers an expanse of some 228,000 square miles (590,000 square km). [1] The proximity to this very large body of cold water has a substantial effect. Due mainly to the westerlies; prevailing winds which drive the cool ocean Humboldt Current (or Peru) through these cold waters. Ocean air is cooled by the current without moisture being retained to generate precipitation (clouds and fog are produced however). Also upwelling occurs off Peru year-round, but off Chile only during the spring and summer. Co-incidentally cold, nutrient-rich water brought to the surface by upwelling brings about extraordinary productivity resulting in the Humboldt Current supporting the world’s largest fisheries.

Another climatic factor is that the desert lies where the westerlies and the southern trade winds intersect at 25° south. Here, the surface winds are rushing both to the north and south, so air from higher up must descend to fill the gap. Ascending air causes rain: descending air tends to prevent rain. This phenomenon is not unique to the Atacama: almost all the major deserts of the world lie between 20° and 30° north or south latitude. [2]

The on shore result of both climatic and topographical effects is that the Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth, and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes and the coastal mountains. The landscape and soil more closely resemble those of the planet Mars. It was thought that some soils contained no life at all until recently in an area south of Antofagasta, a new species of Deinococcus bacteria was found. [3] Astrobiologists are studying in the Atacama to discover clues which may unlock secrets of life on other planets and the possibility of survival there. They are also studying the growth of plants in extreme places in order to develop plants that could be grown off—world or on Mars.

The lack of rain is not a new phenomenon. Dr. Tibor Dunai who spoke before the American Geophysical Union told the BBC in a news article: "We found loose sediment surfaces that would be washed away by any desert rainfall and these are older than 20 million years," he said. This is much older than other hyper-arid regions, such as the Dry Valleys of Antarctica (10-11 million years) and the Namib Desert in Africa (5 million years). "The origin of the aridity in the Atacama dates back to the opening of ocean pathways - the opening between South America and Antarctica, and between Australia and the Antarctic. [4]

A few locations in the Atacama receive marine fog, providing sufficient moisture for hypolithic algae, lichens and even some cacti. A recent innovation has made it possible to catch water from the air. With the use of mesh nets, water is trapped and trickled off via piping into storage tanks.

Human habitation

Atacama road.

For humans to survive in and around the desert has been very challenging. It is not surprising then to discover in fact the Atacama is home to almost a million people. People are found mostly in coastal cities, fishing villages, oasis communities and scattered mining camps. In the altiplano, the descendants of the region's pre-Columbian natives (mostly Aymara and Atacama Indians) herd llamas and alpacas and grow crops with water from snowmelt streams. [5]

Archaeological evidence indicates that the San Pedro area was the center of a Paleolithic civilization that built rock fortresses on the steep mountains encircling the valley.

The original inhabitants of the region were the Atacameños, an extinct Indian culture different from that of the Aymaras to the north and the Diaguitas to the south. [6]


The Escondida Mine and Chuquicamata are also located within the Atacama.

The Pan-American Highway runs through the Atacama in a north-south trajectory.

The European Southern Observatory operates two major observatories in the Atacama Desert:

  • The La Silla Observatory
  • Located 130 km from Antofagasta at an altitude of 2635.43m and 12 km from the coast is the Paranal Observatory, which includes the Very Large Telescope.

A new radio astronomy observatory, called ALMA, is being built in the Atacama Desert by astronomers from Europe, Japan, and North America.

Another radio astronomy observatory, ACT, is being built on Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert.

Great source of minerals

File:Chile-Tatio-Geyser.jpg
Geyser of Tatio in Atacama desert, Chile

The Atacama Desert holds major reserves of copper, gold, silver and industrial metals, it is the heart of Chile's mining industry. Chile's copper mines provide over 30% of the world's mine production of recoverable copper. It also contains the world's largest natural supply of sodium nitrate, which was mined on a large scale until the early 1940s. The Atacama border dispute between Chile and Bolivia began in the 1800s over these resources.

The Chuquicamata mine is the largest open-pit copper mine in the world, located 15 km north of the city of Calama in the region of Antofagasta. The mine is elliptical in form, with a surface of almost 8,000,000 m2, and it is 900 m deep. Copper from Chuquicamata is transported by rail southwest to Antofagasta. Approximately 30,000 people work in the remote region around the mine.

Chuquicamata is an opencast copper mine, where a relatively poor copper ore is mined in impressive huge amounts. Modern mining and smelting technology allows the usage of such depostits at unrivaled low costs. The ore contains only between 1.13% and 1.18% metals, most of it copper, but also molybdenum and selenium in a very low proportion. [7]

Currently, the Atacama Desert is littered with approximately 170 abandoned nitrate (or "saltpeter") mining towns, almost all of which were shut down decades after the invention of synthetic nitrate in Germany at the turn of the 20th century. Some of these abandoned towns include Chacabuco, Humberstone, Santa Laura, Pedro de Valdivia, Puelma, Maria Elena and Oficina Anita. Chacabuco is a special case since it was later converted into a concentration camp during Pinochet's regime. To this day it is surrounded by 98 lost landmines and is guarded by one man who lives there alone.

The Atacama border dispute was a border dispute between Chile and Bolivia in the 1800s that ended in Chilean annexation of all of the Bolivian Coast and the southern tip of Bolivia's ally Peru, during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). Later Peru and Argentina became involved in the dispute. Some still consider the dispute ongoing as Bolivia continues to claim a sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean.

Notes

  1. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Peru-Chile-Trench, Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved April 27, 2007
  2. ↑ Goodman, Jason. Graduate Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. April 1, 1999. Why does moisture from the Pacific not form over the Atacama desert?, MadSci Network. Retrieved April 27, 2007
  3. ↑ Ruder, Kate. November 14, 2003. Radiation-Resistant Microbe Found in Chilean Desert, Genome News Network of J. Craig Venter Institute. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  4. ↑ Amos, Jonathan. December 8, 2005. Chile desert's super-dry history, BBC News. Retrieved April 29, 2007
  5. ↑ Vesilind, Priit J. National Geographic Magazine. August 2003. http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0308/feature3/ Retrieved May 2, 2007
  6. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Atacama Desert, Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
  7. ↑ http://www.showcaves.com/english/misc/mines/Chuquicamata.html. Retrieved April 27, 2007

Sources and Further Reading

  • Braudel, Fernand, The perspective of the world, New York, Harper & Row, 1984, ISBN 0060153172
  • Sagaris, Lake, Bone and dream : into the world's driest desert, Toronto, A.A. Knopf Canada, 2000, ISBN 0676972233
  • Aarons, John and Claudio Vita-Finzi, , 1960. The useless land; a winter in the Atacama Desert, London, R. Hale, OCLC 2649656
  • Roig, V. 1999. Atacama desert. Encyclopedia of deserts. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman (Oklahoma).

External links

http://www.ls.eso.org/index.html http://www.eso.org/paranal/site/paranal.html



Deserts
Ad-Dahna | Alvord | Arabian | Aral Karakum | Atacama | Baja California | Barsuki | Betpak-Dala | Chalbi | Chihuahuan | Dasht-e Kavir | Dasht-e Lut | Dasht-e Margoh | Dasht-e Naomid | Gibson | Gobi | Great Basin | Great Sandy Desert | Great Victoria Desert | Kalahari | Karakum | Kyzylkum | Little Sandy Desert | Mojave | Namib | Nefud | Negev | Nubian | Ordos | Owyhee | Qaidam | Registan | Rub' al Khali | Ryn-Peski | Sahara | Saryesik-Atyrau | Sechura | Simpson | Sonoran | Strzelecki | Syrian | Taklamakan | Tanami | Thar | Tihamah | Ustyurt

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