干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The southern coast of Atacama Desert, between the city of Chanaral (26 degrees 20’ S) and the Copiapo River, (27 degrees 19’ S), presents a great diversity of shapes, types of rocks and fossil deposits. Some of the most incredible Geosites can be found on this coastal zone, which are significant for geosciences, culture and nature adventure tourism. Geosites are an important patrimonial resource that gives potential for conservation and support for sustainable tourism activities in the III Region of the country. The arid morphodynamic coastal zone becomes vulnerable by the occurrence of natural hazards such as seismicity, tsunamis, mass flows and alluvial flows. The natural and hazardous phenomenon of the southern coast of Atacama are characterized and analyzed, determining its effects on Geosites, this contributes to create a base of scientific information for management planning and for sustainable proposals for these areas, anticipating its effects on inhabitants, their goods and the existing infrastructure, as well as for the increasing number of tourists attracted by the nature of the coastal desert.