Geography of Chile

Chile is a country that is over 4300 km in a north-south direction along the Andes and the Pacific Ocean extends, but is only an average of 180 kilometers wide. Due to the long north-south extent of more than 39 degrees of latitude, but also the considerable differences in altitude in west-east direction, Chile has a wide variety of climate and vegetation zones.

• 3.1 Climatic conditions
• 3.2 Climatic classification
• 3.3 Glacial phenomena
• 3.4 El Niño

Relief and Geology

The Chilean relief can be geotektonisch roughly divided into three areas: the Andes to the east, the transition region ( Pampa de Valle Tamarugal and longitudinal ) in the center and the coastal mountain range ( Cordillera de la Costa) in the west.

Andes

The Chilean Andes can be divided into four major blocks in terms of their geological- tectonic structure from north to south, is where all areas have in common that they fall short of only a few places in the south of the country, the 2,000 m line.

In the north Chilean Andes consist of a 1000 km long chain of perlschnurartigen recent stratovolcanoes that up to the highest mountain in the country, the Ojos del Salado ( 6.880m ), south of 27 ° latitude range. There is a high explosive, rather basic volcanism, extending over extensive ignimbrite surfaces.

The first block closes between 27 and 33 latitude, which the height of Santiago is approximately equal to the Hochkordillere, whose peaks are up to 5,000 m high. On the Argentine side of the Andes reach here between 32 ° S and 33 ° S with the Aconcagua their highest point. The overburden in this area consist of Mesozoic- Cenozoic sediments and volcanic rocks that are repeatedly penetrated by granitic intrusions. At the height of Vallenar (29 ° S ) emerges even the old basement of gneisses and mica schists. This block is free of young volcanism.

South of 33 ° S is then with the 6,800 m high volcano Tupungato again an elongated volcanic chain. It is composed of a variety of high explosive stratovolcanoes, which in turn consist of andesitic to basaltic lavas. This 1000 km long volcanic chain loses quickly to the south in height and extends approximately up to 42 ° S south of Puerto Montt.

From 42 ° S to play Mesozoic and Tertiary sedimentary overburden, the rest of the metamorphic basement rocks. In this zone there are only a few isolated volcanoes and the height of 3,000 m is rarely exceeded. Shaping the relief here is the Pleistocene glaciation with numerous glacial lakes, Karen and fjords.

Transition region

The transition region between the Coastal Cordillera and the Andes can be divided into two areas: the Pampa de Tamarugal in the north and the Valle Longitudinal in the central- southern area. Both are pronounced trench systems. The Pampa de Tamarugal extends on average at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level between the Peruvian border (17 ° S ) and about the height of Copiapo (27 ° S).

The Valle Longitudinal or Valle Central begins approximately at the height of Santiago (32 ° S) and immersed in Puerto Montt (41 ° 30 'S) into the sea, where it is a submarine on the island of Chiloé to Taitao Peninsula (43 ° S) continues. However, its tectonic structure stands out already in the channels from 47 ° S. The southern section between Temuco and Puerto Montt is characterized by a variety of glacial geomorphology.

Coast Mountains

The coastal mountain range extends with a brief interruption to the south of the island of Chiloe on the entire western part of the country. They project to the north of the country between Arica and Chañaral (26 ° S ) abruptly up as cliff on in places over 2,000 m. Since the few rivers in this area extremely arid climate, not the strength to have a breakthrough because of it is intersected only by a few valleys. The valley systems accumulate only south of Chañaral. The coastal mountain range to the south flattens out and finally reaches in the small south only a few places altitudes above 1,000 m. The Coastal Cordillera is made from 44 ° S ( Chonos Archipelago) as an island chain continues.

Volcanism and earthquakes

Chile is dominated almost in its entire north - south extent of strong volcanism. Some of the major volcanoes of the country

• Nevado Ojos del Salado, 6880 m, III. Region ( Región de Atacama )
• Tupungato, 6800 m, Capital Region ( Región Metropolitana )
• Volcán Llullaillaco, 6739 m, II Region ( Región de Antofagasta )
• Volcán Parinacota, 6342 m, I. Region ( Región de Tarapacá )
• Volcán Licancábur, 5916 m, II Region ( Región de Antofagasta )
• Descabezado Grande, 3830 m, Region VII ( Maule )
• Volcán Villarrica, 2840m, VIII Region ( Región de la Araucanía )
• Volcán Osorno, 2652 m, X. Region ( Región de los Lagos)
• Volcán Cerro Hudson, 1905 m, XI. Region ( Región de Aysen )

The world's strongest yet registered earthquake was the earthquake of Valdivia in 1960 with a magnitude of 9.5 Mw on the moment magnitude scale. On 27 February 2010, the earth shook with a magnitude of 8.8 Mw north of Concepcion.

→ See also: List of earthquakes in Chile, List of volcanoes in Chile

Climate

Climatic conditions

Several factors play an important role in the climatic imprint of Chile.

One of the most important factors is the cold Humboldt current, which flows in a northerly direction along the coast of Chile and Peru and brings cold deep water to the surface. Because of the cold surface water to cool from the air layers close to what an inversion weather conditions, and thus a stable stratification of the atmosphere causes. This temperature inversion causes no air parcel rises due to heating and condensed, and thus resulting in precipitation. It is formed from a stationary high pressure area, which is predominantly in the austral summer and southern winter. The near-surface air layers often reach their condensation level, so that often forms on the coasts fog.

This stable high-pressure structure leads to so-called coastal deserts. Since the high-pressure area is so stable that there are several decades no precipitate, formed from the coasts deserts. Therefore, the northern Chile is characterized by desert regions. The Atacama Desert is the driest areas of this soil in which it has not rained in places for centuries.

The second major factor is the high mountains of the Andes. Southern Chile is in the area of ​​influence of cyclonic cold fronts that are formed due to the pressure gradient from high off the coast of Chile to the polar low pressure regions. These fronts accumulate on the windward side in the west of the Andes, and it comes to storage advektivem precipitation. The most common Patagonia is affected, since hyper maritime throughout the year, so stow very moist air masses to the Andes and rain out. In the Patagonian Andenlee thus they remain dry and it can use a hair dryer. Hairdryer means that lower the rained out, so dry and warm air masses on the leeward side and there is a warm dry wind. By moving the fronts to the north in the southern winter (as the intertropical convergence zone moves with the zenith of the sun to the north ) is the central zone and the south of Chile dominated by winter precipitation. Here we can distinguish between Chile episodic rainfall in central Chile and periodic rainfall in the small south. The Südsommermonate in the small southern Chile are subtropical warm and dry.

Climatic classification

The Great Northern Chile (17 ° - 28 ° S ), called Desert Chile, is characterized by long-lasting stable high pressure weather conditions, lack of rainfall and vast deserts or at high altitudes high mountain semi-desert.

The little north and the central zone (28 ° - 38 ° S ), called river oasis Chile, are subtropical warm and dry, which may cause episodic winter precipitation. They are growing region for wine and fruit on artificial irrigation.

The little southern Chile (38 ° - 42 ° S ), called deforestation Chile or Chilean Switzerland, is characterized by periodic winter rainfall and high Luftemperaturen. It is dominated by evergreen forests and meadows.

The Great Southern Chile (42 ° - 55 ° S ), called jungle Chile, has high year-round rainfall. The prevailing temperate rainforest.

Climate chart La Serena ( Small North )

Climate chart Valdivia ( Small South )

Climate chart Punta Arenas ( Big South)

Glacial phenomena

In the central and southern Chile 's highest mountains are glaciated, since there are periodic rainfall and corresponding cold temperatures at altitude. In Patagonia glaciers are very common due to extreme rainfall and partly cold temperatures and calve in some places into the sea. Furthermore, there is in the Patagonian Andes remains of quaternary glaciation, the 20,000 km ² large Patagonian Ice Sheet talking.

El Niño

An important also for Chile climate phenomenon is the El Niño phenomenon. This is really not a question of how often incorrectly used to a climatic, but a purely oceanic phenomenon. The cold water currents off South America tear off, and it collects hot water off the South American coast. As a result, climatic thus abolishes the normally predominant stable high- pressure situation, and there is a reversal of the Walker circulation ( between South America and Indonesia, length circular parallel). This reversal has serious consequences, as the hot water off the coast leads to a drastic death of kaltwassergewöhnten sea creatures and heavy rainfall occur on land. The otherwise dominated by drought landscape can be damaged severely by mudslides and landslides in such heavy precipitation events.