- Physical characteristics of the Monte Desert
- The richness of the natural world of the desert
- Geological transformations
- Climate in the Monte region
On the territory of Argentina there are vast territories occupied by deserts, each of which has its own geographical coordinates, climatic and natural conditions, its own flora and fauna. Although, on the other hand, it is very difficult to draw a clear border between them, in many textbooks and sources they write that “the Monte Desert smoothly turns into the Patagonian Desert”. The Atacama Desert present in the region, located in the neighboring state of Chile, also has common features with the above deserts.
Physical characteristics of the Monte Desert
The first thing that unites these territories is the similarity of landscapes, deserts are formed by volcanic sediments, they consist of foothill plains and heaps of boulders that appeared as a result of the destruction of ancient volcanoes.
The Monte Desert, like its neighboring neighbors, is characterized by an almost complete absence of precipitation and the presence of a rain shadow effect, since they are located on the leeward side of the Andes. There is also a difference - both the Atacama and the Patagonian Desert are strongly influenced by cold ocean currents. On Monte, however, they do not have such an effect; this also brings with it the difference between deserts in the number of plant and animal species inhabiting certain territories.
The richness of the natural world of the desert
The nature of the Monte Desert is, one might say, richer than the neighboring lands. Thus, Atacama, considered one of the driest regions on earth, is almost completely devoid of flora. In this regard, the Patagonian desert is a little richer, here you can already see individual representatives of the plant kingdom, in particular, some herbaceous plants and shrubs.
The desert got its name "Monte" due to the fact that its territories are dominated by representatives of xerophytic-succulent shrubs, the so-called "Monte" scrubs. The desert is large enough, but at the same time the relief and composition of vegetation differ slightly.
The dominant types of local vegetation have an interesting, exotic name - retamo, harilla, algarrobo and others. Closer to the center of the desert, mesquites and larreas appear. Other types of vegetation found in the Monte Desert include cactus scrub, a tree in the legume family.
The fauna of the Monte Desert is represented by the following species:
- small mammals, primarily mice;
- larger representatives of the fauna - guanaco;
- birds of prey, mainly owls, for which there is enough food.
Geological transformations
It is believed that at the end of the Carboniferous period, the territories now occupied by the Monte Desert rose, in connection with which the influence of the Atlantic decreased. At that time, the eruption of numerous volcanoes was a characteristic phenomenon for the southern and central regions. Since the Cretaceous period, signs of aridity appear, temperate forests begin to retreat, this process covers the southeastern regions of Brazil, southern Chile, and the eastern slopes of the Andes.
In the Tertiary period, scientists suggest that savannas were widespread in the Monte region, characterized by a mild and warm climate. In subsequent periods, glaciations played a role, leading to sharp climate fluctuations. Traces of glaciers in the form of glacial lakes can still be seen today in the southern and southeastern regions of Monte.
Climate in the Monte region
The establishment of the climatic conditions of the Monte Desert is influenced by sea air masses coming from the Atlantic Ocean. Although the desert zone is definitely referred to as areas with insufficient moisture. The reason is the Pampa Sierras and Precordilleras, which trap the moist air masses from the Atlantic.
The main characteristics of the Monte Desert are dry, hot, arid and temperate arid climates. In summer, it is relatively humid here, in winter it is dry and cold. The average annual temperature varies slightly, temperature fluctuations in the region from + 13 ° С to + 17 ° С. A large difference is observed in the indicators of the minimum and maximum.
The amount of precipitation falling on the territory of Monte is not uniform, the closer to the west, the more it is. The average annual moisture content in the east is 80 mm, in the extreme west - 300 mm. The northern and central parts of the desert are more likely to experience precipitation in the summer, the southern regions - in autumn and winter. Areas of Monte, located south of the Diamante River, are characterized by the fact that precipitation falls more or less evenly throughout the year.
Another feature of the Monte Desert is the presence of underground water reserves, their number is much greater than in the neighboring Patagonian Desert. They are important sources of water for cities located nearby - Mendoza, San Juan, Tucuman. The problem is that these water sources are located at a considerable depth, and, in addition, some of them are saline.
