Atacama Desert
If you’re looking for dry places in the world, look no further than the Atacama Desert. It’s the second driest desert in the world, after the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. It’s been a desert for over 20 million years, kept that way by the Andes Mountains which block rain from reaching the area. A lot of people consider death Valley California the height of dry desert. But Atacama is 50 times as dry.
It takes more than just one mountain range to maintain the amazing Atacama Desert. A number of land features and weather factors converge in this unique location. The first, of course, is those Andes. The Andes Mountains’ rain shadow, the side downwind from prevailing winds, is the culprit here. On the opposite side moist air drops a great deal of rainfall. But the air is bone dry when it tops the mountain. As if the Andes aren’t enough, rain is blocked on the other side by the Chilean Coast Range. The anti-cyclone, reverse spin area of dry air over the Pacific, multiplies the effect.
It’s so dry its stunning. The Atacama Desert receives about 1 millimeter of rain a year. Some places in the desert never receive rain. It’s fairly well accepted that from 1570 to 1971, no rain fell at all. Any questions? Can there be a drought in an area that received less rain in a year than a thimble would hold? There are even some riverbeds that haven’t held water for 120,000 years.
The Atacama Desert has enjoyed far more than its 15 minutes of fame thanks to the super dry conditions. The soil and overall conditions are very similar to what it’s like on Mars. Many movies and documentaries about Mars have been filmed in this desert. Scientists decided to run some tests here – the same tests that had been run on Mars by the Viking Landers. These tests determined whether or not there was life on Mars. What did they find? There were no signs of life in the Atacama Desert. Now this waterless desert is used for further research and even tests to prepare for future missions to Mars.
Whenever you need a drink, consider the Atacama Desert. Drinks are not served there. You would be hard-pressed to even find a sip.