SLIDE 1
Modeling Precipitation Patterns in Hyperarid Soils
Atacama Desert, Chile
Kari Finstad EPS 209 - Spring 2011
Atacama Desert
✴Among driest
places on Earth
✴Hyperarid
climate since Pliocene
✴Large surficial
deposits of salts
Modeling Precipitation Patterns in Hyperarid Soils Atacama Desert, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Modeling Precipitation Patterns in Hyperarid Soils Atacama Desert, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Modeling Precipitation Patterns in Hyperarid Soils Atacama Desert, Chile Kari Finstad EPS 209 - Spring 2011 Atacama Among driest Desert places on Earth Hyperarid climate since Pliocene Large surficial deposits of salts What
SLIDE 2
SLIDE 3
What precipitation pattern can explain observed deposition depth trend?
SO4 (gypsum) layers on top NaCl (halite) below
SLIDE 4
NaCl CaSO4
Annual Salt Deposition
SLIDE 5
NaCl CaSO4
Precipitation event
SLIDE 6
NaCl CaSO4
Dissolution
- f salts
H2O
+
SLIDE 7
NaCl CaSO4
Downward movement of salt saturated water
H2O + H2O +
SLIDE 8
NaCl CaSO4
Deposition of salt as soil dries out
H2O H2O
SLIDE 9
NaCl CaSO4
RESULTS
Frequent ‘small’ events Infrequent ‘moderate’ events
NaCl CaSO4
= =
SLIDE 10
The Atacama Desert has experienced a period of hyperaridty punctuated with brief infrequent episodes of rainfall that are larger than the long term average