Chile´s Atacama desert is a high coastal desert bounded by
the Pacific coastal range on the west and the Andes mountains on
the east. The 20,850 square mile (54,000 square kilometer) Atacama
desert is the world´s driest, with some of its regions having
never recorded any significant rainfall in modern years.
A wide variety of unique geological features give the Atacama an
otherworldly character. The presence of active volcanoes, dry salt
basins left over from the evaporation of ancient inland seas, and
uniquely weathered rock formations have created landscapes that
some compare to the surface of Mars or the moon.
The vast majority of recorded rainfall in the Atacama occurs in
the higher elevations of the Andes, as evidenced by the collection
of low-lying grasses and other sparse vegetation in these higher,
colder climes. Outside of the scattered oases within the Atacama
plateau, the remainder of the desert is almost completely devoid
of vegetation.
With the onset of the industrial revolution in the late nineteenth
century, the Atacama desert became a magnet of mining activity,
due to the region´s high concentration of numerous minerals.
The presence of nitrates, copper, iron ore, lithium, gold and silver
contributed to a series of mining booms in the region.
Today, a growing tourist trade is contributing to the economic vitality
of the region. The unique geological features discussed in this
section are all popular tourist attractions. Additionally, the Atacama
has recently become the focus for a number of radio astronomical
research projects, which are clustered within a government designated
science preserve on the Llano de Chajnantor located 24 miles (40
kilometers) to the east of San Pedro.
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