Daily Knowledge by appYeah

Laguna Miscanti is a brackish lake in the Altiplano of the Antofagasta Region in northern Chile. It has an area of about 13 km² (5 sq mi) and the shape of an arrowhead. The lake has no permanent surface inflows or outflows apart from several springs, and is primarily fed and drained by groundwater. Laguna Miscanti is located among the volcanoes of the Central Andes, and formed through tectonic processes about 22,000 years ago. It was once larger, but the climate became drier again during the Holocene, and the lake shrank and may have dried out completely, leaving wetlands behind. The lake reformed 3,400 years ago and has persisted since. Laguna Miscanti is an important breeding site for birds and a major tourist destination within the Los Flamencos National Reserve. Prehistoric peoples used the area as a hunting ground, and several archaeological sites have been identified nearby. The smaller Laguna Miñiques lies immediately south, separated from Miscanti by a lava flow. (Full article...)