La Portada (
Spanish: "The Gateway") is a
natural arch on the coast of
Chile, north of
Antofagasta.
It is one of fifteen natural monuments included among the
protected areas of Chile.
There is another similar but smaller structure in the
spa town of
Pucatrihue,
Osorno Province.
Description
The La Portada Natural Monument covers an area of 31.27
hectares (77.27
acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
s), and its geomorphological features and remaining fossils stand out in the form of an arch.
The arch of La Portada is 43 m (140 ft) high, 23 m (75 ft) wide, and 70 m (230 ft) long. It has a base of black
andesite stone, around which are arranged marine
sedimentary rocks, a stratum of yellowing
sandstone, and layers of the remaining fossils of shells dating back 35 to 2 million years ago.
All this was formed during a long process of marine erosion.
The arch is surrounded by coastal cliffs that were also formed by marine erosion. They reach a maximum height of 52 m above sea level.
On 5 October 1990, it was declared a natural monument under Supreme Decree #51 of the Ministry of Agriculture, published in the ''Diario Oficial''.
Since March 2003, this natural monument remains closed due to a landslide of an important part of its cliffs, which blocked access to its beach. For this reason, a remodeling of the access route and its surroundings is planned.
Fauna
The natural monument constitutes an observation site for
guano
Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...
birds such as
Peruvian booby (''Sula variegata'') and
Inca terns (''Larosterna inca''), as well as
Guanay cormorant
The Guanay cormorant or Guanay shag (''Leucocarbo bougainvilliorum'') is a member of the cormorant family found on the Pacific coast of Peru and northern Chile. (The Argentinian population on the Patagonian Atlantic coast appears to be ex ...
s (''Phalacrocorax bougainvillii''),
kelp gulls (''Larus dominicanus''),
grey gulls (''Larus modestus''),
Belcher's gull
Belcher's gull (''Larus belcheri''), also known as the band-tailed gull, is a bird in the family Laridae found along the Pacific coast of South America. It formerly included the very similar Olrog's gull as a subspecies, but that bird occurs o ...
s (''Larus belcheri''), and
pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...
s.
Occasionally one can also observe mammals such as the
South American fur seal (''Arctocephalus australis'') or the
common dolphin (''Delphinus delphis'').
Access
La Portada is located north of Antofagasta, which can be accessed by Route 1 Antofagasta-Tocopilla, from which an access road diverges at kilometer 20.
The monument is found near the
Cerro Moreno International Airport and
La Chimba National Reserve.
References
External links
*
Corporación Nacional Forestal
*
Servicio Nacional de Turismo
La Portada
{{Natural Monuments of Chile
Landforms of Antofagasta Region
Natural monuments of Chile
Rock formations of Chile
Natural arches
Protected areas of Antofagasta Region
Coasts of Antofagasta Region