This desert shares its name with a nearby plateau home to green lagoons with mound-forming bacteria communities called stromatolites, which scientists have compared to early life on Earth. (-5[1])This desert is home to an (10[1])ancient delta dubbed “Red Stone” by NASA, (-5[1])who found naturally occurring perchlorates also found on (-5[1])Mars. (10[3]-5[1])Pockets of vegetation called lomas (-5[1])in this desert south of the (10[1])Chala (-5[1])are supplied (10[1])by (10[1])dense rolling fogs. (10[2])The Arica (“ah-REE-ka”) Bend (-5[1])and the city (10[1]-5[1])of Arica (10[5])are located at the (10[1])northern (10[1])part (10[2])of this desert. (10[1]-5[1])Clear skies (10[1])about a (10[1])mountain in this desert, (10[1])the Cerro Paranal, led it to become the location of (10[1])the Very Large (10[1])Telescope. (10[6]-5[1])Only (10[2])a few valleys (10[2])in Antarctica (10[1]-5[1])are drier (10[1])than this (10[1])copper-rich desert (10[1])due (10[1])its location (10[1])between a country’s Coast Range and the Andes. For 10 points, (10[1])name this desert (10[1])in northern (10[1])Chile. (10[1])■END■ (10[6])