GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This touristic zone belongs to the second region of Chile with 125.306 km2, the most extense of the country after the chilean Antartic territory. Also here is the mayor continental width, with 380 kms. at the far away extremes.
A little more to the north it is the tripartite border Cerro Zapaleri, that internationality define the borders of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia.

The central flat, that here is Atacama Desert, the most arid of the world. At the Cordillera de los Andes, the peaks and volcanoes are over 6000 mts. and the Cordillera de la Costa rise the highest altitude at Cerro Vicuña Mackenna, 3114 mts.

Inside the special characteristics of the region:

1.- It is the most copper open cast mine of the world, Chuquicamata, this one was nationalized by the president Salvador Allende in 1971.
Nowaday, the copper extraction of this zone corresponding more than the 40% of the chilean economy. Chuquicamata mine has one kilometer deep and La Escondida is the one that produce more quantity.

2.- It is the largest river of Chile, the Loa. which is the only one that end at the sea of the region after travelling 430 kms, from the altiplano (Miño 4260 mts.) till the Pacific ocean.

3.- The lithium deposit more big of the world, which is at the Salt Flat of Atacama, the bigger active industrie of nitrate (saltpetre) and iodine at Maria Elena and Pedro de Valdivia. Also the bigger copper reservation at La Escondida mine.

MORPHOLOGY

It relief presents six longitudinal strips well defined:


1.- Coastal platform (Plataforma litoral)
Formed by the erosion of the Cordillera de la Costa. Is narrow in almost all the coastal where the hills fall direct into the sea. The platform is wide between Antofagasta and Mejillones, place where deep marine survey create a wide plain. Picture of La Portada de Antofagasta.

2.- Coast mountain range (Cordillera de la Costa)
Is high, wide and parallel to the coast. To the ocean is rugged in constant breaking up and erosioned. To the central plain present rounded and low altitude, because of the thick layer caused by the sediment acumulation.

3.-Central plain (Llano central)
Is a depresion full of erosion coming from the Andes, trapped by a natural barrier of the Coast Mountain range. The altitude is between 1200 mts. and 2000 mts., with a soft pending from the east side to the west, here you find the Atacama desert, the most driest of the world. The Atacama desert is a huge place that has three sectors: north, central and south. The driest place is at the central zone, crossed by the Capricorn Tropic line. The Florid desert is at the south sector with mediterranean climate.

4.- Domeyko mountain range (Cordillera de Domeyko)
Breaked up cordon of the Andes mountain range that runs parallel and on the west side of it. More than 20 millions years old, still present vegetable and animal life. It extended from the inside of Copiapo (III region) till the great Atacama Salt Flat. For to end up at Barros Arana cordon that collided with the Andes mountain range. The proportional height is over 3400 mts., the highest altitude is at Quimal hill with 4200 mts. It is not a great snow receptor and provide low humidity to the central plain.
There you have the most important copper mines, Chuquicamata and La Escondida.

5.- Andean depression (Depresión Andina)
Is the space that exist between the mountain ranges of the Andes and Domeyko, which is ocuupied by a great geologhical depression that was formed by the presence of an old paleolake, that after a period of long drought, between the years 3000 to 1500 b.c., was evaporated, turning into the great Atacama Salt Flat. This salt flat is the biggest one in Chile, still keep a good quantity of lagoons where birds live, such us the flamingo. Also is world lithium reservation, taking out potassium and borax too.
On the west side of the salt flat you find the Salt mountain range (Cordillera de la Sal) with 70 kms. from north to south. Rise 200 mts. over the salt flat. The Salt mountain range with 40 millions years, is one of the oldest mountain range of the world, been the scenary of the famous Moon valley.


6.- Andes and Puna (Highland Altiplano)
Located at the highest peaks covered by snow and with volcanic activity in the past, this place fulfil by ashen and dregs the separation between the hills, generating a plain over 4000 mts. called puna. The puna (andean plateau) is desert and depopulate and keep the principal sulphur mineral deposit.



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