Sedimentary record of catastrophic floods in the Atacama Desert (IMAGE)

European Geosciences Union

Sedimentary record of catastrophic floods in the Atacama Desert

Caption

Despite being located in one of the driest regions of the world--the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile--the usually dry Copiapó River has flooded several times during the 19th and 20th centuries. Sedimentary deposits from the 2017 floods are shown here. The 2015 Atacama floods, analyzed in this paper, were among the worst ever recorded in the region, killing 178 people.

Credit

Manu Abad via Imaggeo

Usage Restrictions

CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

License

Licensed content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.