The Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest non-polar desert on Earth, caused by the Andes Mountains blocking rain and cold ocean currents keeping the air dry. Its incredibly clear, dry air makes it the world’s best place for astronomy, hosting powerful telescopes. NASA uses its terrain to test Mars rovers because the soil is so similar to the Red Planet. Surprisingly, despite the extreme aridity, you can find flamingos in its salt flats, and after a rare rain, it can erupt into a beautiful, colorful “flowering desert.”
Project
Draw a picture of the Atacama Desert when it is flowering.
The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert in the world. Some parts of it get almost no rain—there have even been weather stations that have never recorded a drop!
The soil in the Atacama Desert is so dry and barren that scientists use it to test instruments for Mars missions!
Because the air is so dry and the skies are so clear, the Atacama is one of the very best places in the world for looking at the stars.
Even though it’s super dry, every few years, if there is a little extra rain, the desert floor bursts into a colorful spectacle called Desierto Florido (Flowering Desert).
Scientists think the Atacama Desert is the oldest desert on Earth, possibly being dry for over 150 million years!
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