Department of Antofagasta of the Sierra

The department of Antofagasta of the Sierra is a department of the province of Catamarca in Argentine.

The department has a surface of 28.097 km ², about equivalent to that of Belgium or Albania.

Population

Its population was of 1.282 inhabitants (Census 2001). The population density is quasi null: 0,04 hab/km ².

The town of Antofagasta of the Sierra is its capital and concentrates more than 70% of the population of the department. The following locality is El Peñón, located at 65 km in the south. There exist still some minor hamlets like Paicuqui to 17 km in the north of Antofagasta of the Sierra, and Antofalla, which is with the foot of the Volcan Antofalla and has some 40 inhabitants.

Geography

Its climate is very rigorous, cold and dry, with minimal temperatures far under 0° C, a daily thermal amplitude which exceeds the 30° C and of precipitations lower than 200 Misters annually.

The zone has large surfaces occupied by salars as the Salar del Hombre Muerto where one exploits Lithium and the Salar de Antofalla enclosed between the Sierras of Antofalla and the Sierras of Calalaste. The Salar de Antofalla is the longest salar of the world with 163 km length and a maximum width of 12 km.

In this department is also the protected area Réserve of biosphere Laguna Blanca where habitents of the flamingos of the Andes ( parinas ), of the foxes ( zorros ), of the nandous ( suris or avestruz pequeño ), of the camélidés Vigogne S and others autochtones. This reserve has a surface of a little less than one million hectares is 10.000 km ².

Though the area is extremely arid, one can meet zones equipped with greens pastures called vegas . Those owe their greenness with small brooks and rivers among which Río of los Patos and Río Punilla. In addition to the ríos, it is necessary to underline the presence of small lakes (called lagunas), and among them Laguna de Antofagasta and Laguna Alumbrera (close to the town of Antofagasta of the Sierra and with the foot of the Volcan S homonyms), Laguna Blanca, Laguna Grande and Laguna Diamante.

Volcanicity

It is necessary to underline the presence of large volcanos in the area, among which are the Antofalla (6 409 meters), Carachi Pampa, the Antofagasta, Alumbrera, the Cordón del Azufre (5 463 meters) and the Volcano Cerro Galán (5 912 meters), this last being in one of largest the Caldeira S in the world, produced by a colossal explosion, the Caldeira Cerro Galán.

The department of Antofagasta of the Sierra is characterized by the presence of more than 200 volcanos . Many other volcanic phenomena can meet in the area like the fields of stone-pounce, which confirms that, in the past, existed a considerable volcanic activity, which continues today. The department is a zone rich in minerals. In addition to the exploitation of the Lithium, one formerly also extracted from the Or in the Mines of Incahuasi.

See too

the volcano Antofalla
the List of the volcanos of Argentina
the Salar del Hombre Muerto

External bonds

Chart of the province of Catamarca
List and photographs of the principal volcanos of South America
Chart of the departments of Antofagasta of the Sierra and Tinogasta

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