The Atacama Ecosystem

Life in the Driest Desert in the World

The Atacama Desert appears lifeless at first glance — and in some places, it actually is: In the hyper-arid core, NASA has taken soil samples and found no living organisms. This part of the Atacama is the best analogy for Mars that our planet has to offer — that's why NASA tests its Mars rovers and life-search devices here.

But the desert also has its lively side:

Flora

• Desierto Florido (Blooming Desert): Every 5–7 years, when El Niño brings enough rain, the Atacama transforms into a sea of flowers: Millions of wildflowers (over 200 species) cover the otherwise barren desert floor in pink, violet, yellow, and white. The last major Desierto Florido was 2022/2023 — a natural spectacle that made headlines worldwide
• Tamarugo: A tree that survives in the salty desert by extending its roots up to 20 meters deep into the ground. The Pampa del Tamarugal near Iquique is one of the few forested places in the desert
• Llareta (Yareta): A bizarre, moss-like plant that grows at altitudes over 3,000 m and looks like a green stone. It grows only 1–2 mm per year — some specimens are over 3,000 years old
• Cacti: The candelabra cactus (Browningia candelaris) towers over the desert landscape at altitudes over 2,500 m

Fauna

• Flamingos: Three species live at the salt lakes of the Atacama — Andean Flamingo, James's Flamingo, and Chilean Flamingo. They filter small crustaceans from the salty water with their beaks
• Vizcacha: A rodent that looks like a hare with a squirrel tail. Lives in rock crevices over 3,000 m and is surprisingly tame
• Vicuña: The wild relative of the alpaca, with the finest and most expensive fur in the world. Herds graze in the highlands over 4,000 m
• Andean Condor: The largest flying bird in the world (wingspan up to 3.2 m) circles over the gorges and valleys
• Chinchilla: The wild ancestors of pet chinchillas live in a few colonies in the Atacama — extremely rare and endangered

Geology

The Atacama is a geological open-air museum: Salt pans, copper deposits (Chile is the world's largest copper producer — 28% of world production!), lithium deposits in the Salar de Atacama (one of the largest lithium reserves in the world, crucial for electric car batteries), and volcanic formations. The oldest rocks in the Atacama are over 400 million years old.