Humans and environments in the most arid place of the world

The Atacama Desert lies between the Pacific coast and the Andes in northern Chile. It is the largest desert in South America and the driest on Earth. Here, annual precipitation is almost zero. The little water that is available depends on the summer rainfall that falls on the Andean mountains. It reaches the desert by runoff and is found within some canyons or by the emergence of groundwater. The presence of life in this extreme environment may seem unimaginable today; however, fossil and archaeological records reveal that plants, animals, and even humans lived in this region during various periods over the last 18,000 years.Fil: de Porras, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Gayo, Eugenia M.. Centro de Ciencia del Clima y la Resiliencia; ChileFil: Uribe, Mauricio. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Maldonado, Antonio. Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica. Centro de Investigación Regional. Centro de Estudios en Zonas Áridas; Chil