"""receiver"" cabins: Cassegrain, Nasmyth A, and Nasmyth B. Atacama Pathfinder Experiment The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) is a radio telescope 5,100 meters above sea level, at the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory in the Atacama desert in northern Chile, 50 km east of San Pedro de Atacama built and operated by 3 European research institutes. The main dish has a diameter of 12 m and consists of 264 aluminium panels with an average surface accuracy of 17 micrometres (rms). The telescope was officially inaugurated on September 25, 2005. The APEX telescope is a modified ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) prototype antenna"
"Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1000-km (600-mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. The Atacama desert is one of the driest places in the world (the driest being the McMurdo Dry Valleys ) , as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts. According to estimates, the Atacama Desert occupies , or if the barren lower slopes of the Andes are included. Most of the desert is composed of stony terrain, salt lakes (""salares""), sand, and felsic lava"
"in Chile include wines, copper etches, wood carvings, and textiles. The Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world was picked in October 2014 by Lonely Planet to be among the 10 top travel regions of 2015. The desert, which has been inhabited for several thousand years, makes up the main portion of the Norte Grande. A myriad of geoglyphs, petroglyphs and pictographs attest the presence of ancient cultures in the area. Among the most remarkable are those of Azapa Valley, Lluta Valley, the Atacama Giant and Pintados Geoglyphs, these latter are protected within the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve."
"on the South Pacific Ocean. The Atacama Desert is the most arid desert in the world. The Ojos del Salado, a crater lake which is the world's highest lake (at ) is located here. In northern Chile there is the harsh Atacama desert with typical desertic wildlife such as cacti. In the country's middle part, there is a temperate Mediterranean climate, while the south has cold and moist mountainous regions and numerous islands. The first law addressing the capture and use of wild animals was contained in the Civil Code of 1888. Chile has brought nearly 20% of its terrestrial"
"that flows towards the Andes. The desert owes its extreme aridity to a constant temperature inversion due to the cool north-flowing Humboldt ocean current, and to the presence of the strong Pacific anticyclone. The most arid region of the Atacama desert is situated between two mountain chains (the Andes and the Chilean Coast Range) of sufficient height to prevent moisture advection from either the Pacific or the Atlantic Oceans, a two-sided rain shadow. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Atacama Desert ecoregion occupies a continuous strip for nearly 1,600 km along the narrow coast of the northern"
"in several other European countries subsequently, like Poland and Spain, and finally arrived in the USA in select theaters on March 17, 2011. The Atacama Desert in Chile is known for being one of the driest deserts in the world. As a result, scientists and astronomers from around the world travel to the desert and use it as a site to perform their own research. These astronomers are able to look clearly up into the sky and observe the universe that surrounds us to try to understand the origins of the cosmos. Similarly, the lack of humidity not only helps"
"Atacama Fault The Atacama Fault Zone (AFZ) is an extensive system of faults cutting across the Chilean Coastal Cordillera in Northern Chile between the Andean Mountain range and the Pacific Ocean. The fault system is North-South striking and runs for more than 1100 km North and up to 50 km in width through the Andean forearc region. The zone is a direct result of the ongoing subduction of the Eastward moving Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate and is believed to have formed in the Early Jurassic during the beginnings of the Andean orogeny. The zone can be split"
"the high desert floor creating a canyon that is over a mile (6,000 feet or 1,800 meters) deep in places, exposing strata that are over two billion years old. One of the driest places on Earth is the Atacama Desert. It is virtually devoid of life because it is blocked from receiving precipitation by the Andes mountains to the east and the Chilean Coast Range to the west. The cold Humboldt Current and the anticyclone of the Pacific are essential to keep the dry climate of the Atacama. The average precipitation in the Chilean region of Antofagasta is just per"
"Visitors also use the Atacama Desert sand dunes for sandboarding (Spanish: ""duna""). A week-long foot race called the Atacama Crossing has the competitors cross the various landscapes of the Atacama. An event called Volcano Marathon takes place near the Lascar volcano in the Atacama Desert. Eighteen solar powered cars were displayed in front of the presidential palace (""La Moneda"") in Santiago in November 2012. The cars were then raced through the desert from 15–19 November 2012. Most people who go to tour the sites in the desert stay in the town of San Pedro de Atacama. The Atacama Desert is"
"Puritama Hot Springs Puritama Hot Springs (Spanish: ""Termas Baños de Puritama"") is a series of eight large pools of geothermal spring water located at the bottom of a canyon in the Atacama Desert, in the Antofagasta Region in the north of Chile. It is located at an altitude of 3,475 meters above sea level, 30 km northeast of the town and commune of San Pedro de Atacama and 348 km northeast of Antofagasta, and is a popular tourist attraction. The hot springs are managed by now, since 2011, the Explora hotel, charging for $15.000 Chilean pesos to get in (Spanish:"
"a small cove on the coast of the Pacific in the Atacama desert, the driest non-polar desert in the world. Vegetation is nearly absent in most of the Atacama. At Paposo, the Andes foothills rise steeply inland from the sea reaching an elevation of less than from the coast. Paposo and the Atacama have the desert climate in the Köppen Classification, characterized by mild temperatures, unusual in desert climates, and frequent fog rolling in from the nearby ocean, especially in the southern hemisphere winter. Average temperatures in Paposo range from in July to in January, the warmest month. Annual precipitation"
"driest place on Earth. The Atacama Desert has a unique landscape of salt lakes, volcanoes, lava flows and sand dunes. Moreover, owing to its otherworldly appearance, the landscape has been compared to that of Mars and has been used as a location for filming Mars scenes, most notably in the television series """". The Atacama Crossing is gruelling because of its terrain, harsh climate and altitude that averages 2,500 meters (8,000 feet) during the race. The race typically begins at its highest point of more than 3,000 meters in the Arcoiris Valley. San Pedro de Atacama is the host town"
"meters above sea level and points of interest include the church of Achauta, dating from the start of the 20th century; historic Aymara architecture at Kalcachu, the Cariquima River and volcano. Calama is an inland city in the Antofagasta Region in the north of Chile, lying to the south of Tarapacá. It is surrounded by the Atacama Desert and lies approximately 100 km from the popular tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama. There is currently one Sendero de Chile trail in this zone, the Pukará Lasana – Puente Del Diablo trail. This trail stretches 30 km from the pukará"
"and even sand boarding in the desert. Because of its altitude, a brief period of acclimatization may be required. In the town are some cultural sites: The festivals includes typical dances, masses in the street and a little parade through the main street of San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro de Atacama San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km (60 mi) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. It features a significant archeological museum, the R. P."
"July 2011, an extreme Antarctic cold front broke through the rain shadow, bringing of snow to the plateau, stranding residents across the region, particularly in Bolivia, where many drivers became stuck in snow drifts and emergency crews became overtaxed with a large number of rescue calls. In 2012, the altiplano winter brought floods to San Pedro de Atacama. On 25 March 2015, heavy rainfall affected the southern part of the Atacama Desert. Resulting floods triggered mudflows that affected the cities of Copiapo, Tierra Amarilla, Chanaral, and Diego de Almagro, causing the deaths of more than 100 people. The Atacama Desert"
"desert, the region rarely suffers from heat. In addition to that, the winter presents mostly cool temperatures. Strong and constant wind and high humidity is what brings low temperatures in the winter. The Atacama is the driest place on Earth. One of the most peculiar plants of the region is the ""Araucaria"" tree, which can be found in Brazil, Chile and Argentina. The only native group of conifers found in the southern hemisphere had its origin in the Southern Cone. ""Araucaria angustifolia"", once widespread in Southern Brazil, is now a critically endangered species, protected by law. The prairies region of"
"to the Atacama region. The different species germinate at different times through the flowering desert period. Some of the most common species include: The region is also home to cacti, succulents and other examples of xerophilous plants, as well as animal species including the Tuco-tuco and the Four-Eyed Frog. In recent years, concerns have been raised by environmental organizations about the potentially damaging effects of large numbers of tourists visiting the flowering desert, the illegal trade of native flower species, and the development of motorsport. Environmental organizations have suggested that these activities limit the potential for regeneration of the existing"
"San Pedro de Atacama San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km (60 mi) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. It features a significant archeological museum, the R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, with a large collection of relics and artifacts from the region. Native ruins nearby now attract increasing numbers of tourists interested in learning about pre-Columbian cultures. San Pedro de Atacama grew, over centuries, around an oasis in the Puna de Atacama, an arid"
"center of the world as astronomers and scientists flocked to Chile to observe the universe through the thin and clear skies. We next see Guzmán walking in the Atacama Desert, a place with absolutely no moisture, so much so that it resembles the surface of Mars. This desert, and its abundance of history, becomes the focus of the documentary. Because of how dry it is, the desert hosts the untouched remains of fish, mollusks, Indian carvings, and even mummified humans. Astronomer Gaspar Galaz is introduced and comments on how astronomy is a way to look into the past to understand"
"refer to as the Norte Grande (Big North) lies within the Atacama Desert, the driest region on Earth. The Norte Grande and the Norte Chico immediately to the south belong to the Chilean ""pampa"", a vast plain located between the Pacific Ocean and the western foothills of the Andes mountains. The Norte Grande, which administratively consisted (before 1974) of the two Provinces of Tarapacá and Antofagasta, had been seized by Chile from Bolivia and Peru in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884), giving Chile an area rich in minerals, principally copper and saltpeter (sodium nitrate). Tensions provoked by the control"
"Coastal Cliff of northern Chile The Coastal Cliff of northern Chile () stretches over a length of more than 1000 km along the Atacama Desert. It makes up a large part of the western boundary to the Chilean Coast Range in the regions of Tarapacá and Antofagasta, and Atacama. According to Roland Paskoff the modern cliff origined from a scarp retreat of a fault scarp, thus at present the cliff does not follow any fault. In some locations a series of coastal benches can be found below the cliff. Despite alternating uplift and subsidence of the continent at a decadal"
"Atacamatitan Atacamatitan (meaning ""Atacama Desert titan"") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur. It is a titanosaur which lived during the late Cretaceous in what is now northern Chile. It is known from the holotype SGO-PV-961, which includes two dorsal vertebrae, caudal vertebrae, ribs, a possible sternum, part of an upper arm, the right femur, and unidentified incomplete bones. This specimen was found in the Tolar Formation. The discovery locality is near Conchi Viejo town, Atacama Desert in Antofagasta Region. It was named by Alexander W.A. Kellner, David Rubilar-Rogers, Alexander Vargas and Mario Suárez in 2011 and the type species is"
"of the Atacama Crossing. The race takes place in various locations around the Chinese area of the Gobi Desert, and is usually held in June. in 2012 it took place around the region of Kashgar within sight of the Pamir Mountains to the west visiting such landmarks as Heaven's Gate. 2013 will be the 10th edition of the Gobi March and a brand new course is being planned. The Gobi March's challenges include the changes in temperature from the hot highlands to the oppressive cold in sand dunes, the open sun, potential sandstorms and variety of terrain – soft sand-dunes,"
"average rainfall in the Antofagasta is just per year. From the coast, east to the Chilean Coast Range, is the south-central part of the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world. Further to the east, it is part of the less arid Central Andean dry puna ecoregion. The surroundings of abandoned Yungay town have been named the driest place in the world. Most of the population lives on the coast in Antofagasta and Mejillones, or in Calama, Chile in the interior, the hub of the mining industry and the home of a large part of its work force. In"
"the day to cope with low evening temperatures. The growth rate of the llareta has been recently estimated at about 1.5 cm per year, making many llaretas over 3,000 years old. It produces a much-prized resin, which the mining industry once harvested indiscriminately as fuel, making this plant endangered. The desert is also home to cacti, succulents, and other plants that thrive in a dry climate. Cactus species here include the candelabro (""Browningia candelaris"") and cardon (""Echinopsis atacamensis""), which can reach a height of and a diameter of . The Atacama Desert flowering (Spanish: ""desierto florido"") can be seen from"
"Central Andean dry puna The Central Andean dry puna (NT1001) is an ecoregion in the Montane grasslands and shrublands biome, located in the Andean high plateau, in South America. It is a part of the Puna grassland. This ecoregion occupies the southwestern portion of the Altiplano and is located east of the Atacama Desert. Salt flats, locally known as ""Salares"", are a characteristic feature of this ecoregion. Among the largest salares are Coipasa, Uyuni, Atacama, and Arizaro. Other major geographical features are the lakes Poopó and Coipasa, and the many volcanoes that tower over the altiplano, including Parinacota, Nevado Sajama,"
"Puna de Atacama The Puna de Atacama or Atacama Plateau is an arid high plateau, in the Andes of northern Chile (15%) and Argentina (85%). Geomorphologist Walther Penck based his ""Grossfalt"" landform association on Puna de Atacama. The plateau's elevation averages above sea level, and it spans an area of . In Argentina, Puna's territory is extended in the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, and western Catamarca. In Chile, it is included in the regions of Antofagasta and northeastern Atacama. Before the War of the Pacific (1879–1883), the region belonged to Bolivia. In 1898, it was ceded to Argentina in exchange"
"popular tourist attraction with tourists visiting the phenomenon from various points around the southern Atacama, including Huasco, Vallenar, La Serena, Copiapó and Caldera. In the South and North of Lima, a desert bloom () occurs between the months of September and November in years when rainfall and humidity is unusually high. The particularity of the one in Lima is that it goes all the way up to the highlands as the clouds get ""stuck"" and precipitate water. The other particularity is the green moss that appears. The flowering desert involves more than 200 species of flower, most of them endemic"
"to the Pacific High and outside the range of the ITCZ, cyclones and hurricanes do not occur around Easter island. 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 mountains and by the Chilean Coast Range. The cold Humboldt Current and the Pacific Anticyclone are essential to keep the dry climate of Atacama Desert. The average rainfall in the Chilean region of Antofagasta is just 1 mm per year. Some weather stations in the Atacama have never received rain. Evidence suggests that the Atacama"
"Antofagasta Province Antofagasta Province () is one of three provinces in the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta (II). The capital is the port city of Antofagasta. Located within the Atacama Desert, it borders the El Loa and Tocopilla provinces to the north,the Pacific Ocean to the West and the Atacama Region to the south. Before 1866, this region was disputed and claimed by Chile and Bolivia. Between 1866 and 1879 the province contractually belonged to Bolivia, and was known as the Atacama Department, or the Litoral. It fell into the possession of Chile in the War of the Pacific of"
"held in the Atacama Desert of Chile. This was followed by the Sahara Race in the Sahara Desert of Egypt (Eastern Desert) in 2005. In 2006 a fourth race, called The Last Desert, took place in Antarctica and was the first year in which all 4 Deserts races were held in the same calendar year. Competitors can enter any of the individual multiday races within the 4 Deserts Race Series, but if they wish to take part in The Last Desert (Antarctica) they must successfully finish at least two of the other races in the series. To date, more than"
"September to November in years with sufficient precipitation, as happened in 2015. The climate of the Atacama Desert limits the number of animals living permanently in this extreme ecosystem. Some parts of the desert are so arid, no plant or animal life can survive. Outside of these extreme areas, sand-colored grasshoppers blend with pebbles on the desert floor, and beetles and their larvae provide a valuable food source in the ""lomas"" (hills). Desert wasps and butterflies can be found during the warm and humid season, especially on the lomas. Red scorpions also live in the desert. A unique environment is"
"Tatacoa Desert The Tatacoa Desert is the second largest arid zone in Colombia after the Guajira Peninsula. It occupies 330 square kilometers of land. This semiarid region is located north of Huila Department, 38 km from the city of Neiva in Colombia and from Natagaima in Tolima. It is a rich deposit of fossils and is a great tourist destination. The Tatacoa Desert has two distinctive colors: ocher in the area of Cuzco and gray in the Los Hoyos area. The Tatacoa, or the Valley of Sorrows, as it was called in 1538 by the conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada,"