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This reserve
is in the Province of Loa, Town of San Pedro de Atacama, and one
of its fascinating characteristics is its composition of seven
different sectors. Each sector is different in terms of its weather,
geography, hydrography, flora and fauna.
The sectors,
which altogether make up 73,986 hectares (162,769 acres), are
the following: Tara - Aguas Calientes Salt Deposit, Pujsa Salt
Deposit, Lagoons Miscanti and Miñiques; Atacama Salt Deposit (Soncor),
Atacama Salt Deposit (Aguas Calientes Lagoon), Moon Valley and
Tambillo (mesquite woods).
NATURAL
HERITAGE
The Tara - Aguas Calientes Salt
Deposit sector is to the east of San Pedro, in the middle
of the Andean Mountain Chain, 4,860 meters (15,940 ft) above sea
level being the maximum height. Here there are volcanic structures
and rolling plains, with eroded slopes to the east of the Tara
Salt Deposit, and volcanic columns to the northeast of the Aguas
Calientes Salt Deposit.
Apart from
the salt deposits in this sector, we also find the Tara and Negra
lagoons and the Zapalery river, which together support the flora
and fauna. Vicuñas and South
American red foxes, suris
(ñandus), puna tinamou and chululos live in the plateaus and
slopes, and the James flamingo, Chilean flamingo, caiti, Andean
seagull, golden plover of the puna, tricolor sea chick, juarjual
duck, jergon duck, red and black bird species, puna miner, and
the eaglet live in damp places and ponds. The vizcacha, of course,
dwells in the more rocky places.
The water
tola and the amaia tola are the plant species that exist in this
sector, not only on flat and sloped terrain, but also on the volcano
slopes and in the hills.
In the Pujsa Salt Deposit, rolling
plains, an inter mountain depression and volcanic structures (the
black hill of Pujsa and Balle) are the characteristic features
of the geography. The sector rises to a maximum height of 4,585
meters (15,038 ft) above sea level.
In Pujsa, as in the Tara- Aguas Calientes
salt deposit sector, we also find the water and amaia tola plant
inhabiting the flat and rolling terrain. Vicuñas, chulos and red
foxes are found among the more rocky places and the plateaus respectively.
In terms of the bird-life here,
Chilean, James and Andean flamingoes, caitis, Baird birds, plovers
of the puna, Andean seagulls and juarjual ducks live near the
ponds, springs and rivers. Eaglets, tucuquers, burrowing owls
and condors
live near rocky, hilly and dry places where there is an abundance
of straw.
The Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons
sector is characterized by its volcanoes and mountainous geography.
Miñiques hill is the highest in the area, at 5,910 meters (19,384
ft) above sea level, and Miscati Hill reaches 5,622m (18,440 ft).
The lagoons are over 4,000 meters (13,120 ft) above sea level,
and the same bird species found in the Pujsa salt deposit,
save the Andean flamingo, the Andean seagull, the sea chick and
the condor, live in the surrounding area. The vicuña, the red
fox and the leaf-eared mouse are the mammals that also inhabit
this area.
There are two sectors of the reserve
within the Atatcama salt deposit: Soncor and Quelana.
These sectors are formed by some of the lagoons of the Atacama
salt flat, which is a big saline crust with saline saturated slime
and mud located 2,305 meters (7,560 ft) above sea level.
In Soncor you can find the ‘Puilar’,
‘Chaxas’ and ‘Barros Negros’ lagoons, and in Quelana, the ‘Burros
Muertos’ lagoon. In spite of the apparent impossibility of life
in these places, there is an abundance of diverse species: (Andean
and Chilean) flamingo, Andean seagull, puna plover, Baird bird,
school bird, burrowing owl, black-breasted swallow and the tricolor
sea chick abound in lagoons, canals and riverside areas.
In these sectors,
vegetation is found alongside the water, and is typically salty
grama, brea, cachiyuyo and Ephedra breana.
The ‘Moon Valley’ sector
is perhaps the most famous of the reserve. The Salt Mountain Chain
is here, its highest peak measuring 2,624 meters (8,606 ft) above
sea level. The mountain chain originated from the successive folds
on the bottom of an old lake with shallow waters. When the folds
were elevated the mountain chain was developed.
This area is inhabited by grey and
red foxes, chululos, eaglets, chercans, tijerals, black thrushes,
crown sparrows and ringdoves. Vegetation is typically salty grama,
brea, cachiyuyo, Baccharis petiolata and Frankenia meyenianna,
located near the Tulor area.
The Tambillo
sector is located on the way to Toconao, in fact, the road passes
through the sector from one side to the other, and a part of the
surface area actually contains a section of the Atacama Salt Flat.
Its main characteristic is the existence of mesquite trees, either
isolated or forests. There is a mesquite forest measuring 370
hectares (814 acres).
The fauna of the sector includes
burrowing owls, black-breasted swallows, crow sparrows, hunting
falcon, grey fox and chululo.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
In an archeological sense, there
are archeological sites in the north sector of the Tara salt deposit
and also sectors surrounding the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons.
It is important to highlight the
archeological site of Tulor, in the Moon Valley sector, which
is a village composed of mud huts with circular bases. A great
part of the village is buried under the sand, but there is an
excavated sector, and alongside, a replica of the huts.
On the other side,
in the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons sector, traditional livestock
activities are practiced by pre-mountain range communities, especially
in Socaire.
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