Social Studies: Atacama Desert

Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) near San Pedro de Atacama.because it is

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The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth, blocked from moisture on both sides by the Anand is virtually sterile des mountains and by the Chilean Coast Range. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971. Some locations in the Atacama do receive a marine fog known locally as the Camanchaca, providing sufficient moisture for hypolithic algae, lichens and even some cacti. But in the region that is in the "fog shadow" of the high coastal crest-line, which averages 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) m height for about 100 kilometres (60 mi) south of Antofagasta, the soil has been compared to that of Mars.

The Atacama is sparsely populated. In an oasis, in the middle of the desert, at about 2,000 metres (7,000 ft) elevation, lies the village of San Pedro de Atacama.

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Miscanti lagoon

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