Atacama Desert

Water is brought in from elsewhere by aqueduct or pipeline. In some areas it may be trucked in. A few areas have set up equipment to extract water from the fog that moves in from the Pacific Ocean.

There are parts of the Atacama that have not recorded any measurable rainfall since the arrival of Europeans over 400 years ago.

1.) The high Andes Mountains to the east that block moisture from the Amazon Basin and Atlantic Ocean from reaching the Atacama.

2.) The coastal mountain ranges that prevent Pacific moisture from reaching the desert.

3.) The cold Humboldt Current in the Pacific brings cold water to the coastline that has little evaporation. The air above the current is cooled so that it holds very little moisture.

4.) A perpetual inversion layer hangs over the desert. The upper atmosphere is warmer than the surface air. This prevents convection that could form rain clouds.

5.) Even when there is evaporation from the Pacific, the prevailing winds are from the east and the moisture is blown in a westerly direction, away from the desert.

The Atacama Desert is a long, narrow desert bordered on one side by the Andes Mountains and the other by the Pacific Ocean in South America. The greater part is located in Chile but smaller parts also enter Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. It is considered by many scientists as the driest desert on earth.

There are areas that receive little rain but dense fog moves in from the Pacific Ocean and provides enough moisture for lichens and a few cacti to survive. There are rare oasis were a few more plants can survive but these are quite uncommon. Most of the desert is devoid of plant life, however.

The Atacama is primarily found in Chile and Peru but small parts enter Bolivia and Argentina.

The Atacama is primarily found in Chile and Peru but small parts enter Bolivia and Argentina.

One of the driest places on Earth is the Atacama. It's a desert, partly due to landforms. For it's so fenced in by the Andes Mountains on one side, and by the Chilean Coast Range on the other, that moisture can't get through either way. The Atacama is a desert, also partly due to patterns of air and water circulation. For the Humboldt current runs all along the Chilean and southern Peruvian coasts. But its cold waters flow northwestward, and away from the coastal range. The same northwestward flow can be said of the anticyclonic air pattern. So circulatory patterns of air and water, and mountain barriers, move moisture away from the Atacama.

The Atacama is a plateau and has mountains bordering it. It also has salares or salt lakes which are usually dry, some volcanic activity in the form of hot springs, geisers, a few volcanoes and sand dunes.

In some areas of the Atacama that receive dense fog from the Pacific Ocean, they have conducted experiments with equipment that can condense liquid water from fog with some success.

It is primarily rural but there are several large urban areas found in the desert, such as Antofogasta and Arica.

The Atacama has mineral deposits that are important to the economy of Chile, especially of the metal copper, which provides export income to the country.

To the east are the Andes Mountains and to the west is the Coastal Range The Atacama lies in between.

The Atacama Desert is currently the driest desert worldwide. Some regions in this desert have never seen the rain or other forms of precipitations like snow since more than 400 years. The Atacama Desert is extremely dry because it has an unusually high number of factors which contribuces to his extreme aridity.

The Atacama Desert is known as one of the two driest deserts in the world.

The Incas moved into parts of Chile, including the Atacama Desert. The Atacameno tribe was already living in the desert prior to the arrival of the Incas. There are also a number of cities along the Chilean coast as well as some smaller towns in mining areas.

Yes, the desert is surrounded by mountains.

Yes, there are occasional dust storms in the Atacama Desert.

Fresh water is available in a few oases found in the desert and also from very sparse rainfall and, in some areas near the coast, dense fog. There are rivers and streams in the Atacama but they rarely have any water. In some parts of the desert there are salares, salt lakes, but the water has such a high salt content that it cannot be used for drinking or irrigation.

Average rainfall in the Atacama desert is only a few millimeters per year. However, there are parts of the desert that have measured no rainfall in over 400 years. The desert is a huge place and each area reports differing amounts.

It is the driest desert on earth.

Few plants and animals live there.

It is hemmed in by the Andes Mountains in the east and the coastal range in the west.

It receives very little rain. Parts of the Atacama have not received even a sprinkle in over 400 years.

It borders the Pacific Ocean.

It has rich mineral deposits such as nitrates and copper.

The Atacama is a barren landscape not unlike the surface of Mars. It is made up of hills and flat lands whose surface is covered by sand, pebbles and rocks. Some areas have old volcanic lava flows and some areas have dry salt lake beds. There is some volcanic activity in parts which have geysers and hot mineral springs. There is almost no vegetation present except in some isolated areas. For some photos of the Atacama, click here.

The principle employer of the Atacama Desert region is the mining industry.