Sur Lípez Province
Sur Lípez or Sud Lípez is a province in the Potosí Department in Bolivia. The seat of the province is San Pablo de Lípez.
Location
Sur Lípez is one of sixteen provinces in the Potosí Department. Also the southwesternmost point of Bolivia ...
of
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
Cerro Zapaleri
Zapaleri is a volcano whose summit is the tripoint of the borders of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. A number of railways are in the area. It is part of Potosí Department (Bolivia), Jujuy Province (Argentina), and Antofagasta Region (Chile). The ...
. Mountains in the region include the Cerro Tinte, Zapaleri and other peaks of the Serranía de Dulcenombre. On the eastern shore of the lake lie abandoned tinmines; other resources of partly volcanic origin are basalt and gold and the salt ulexite which was obtained from the Pirquitas mine on the shore of Laguna Vilama.
This lake belongs to a group of remote Andean lakes that formed during the Tertiary. These lakes lie at elevations of and are characterized by extreme environmental conditions, including high amounts of heavy metals such as arsenic, high
salinity
Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...
, high UV radiation, high daily temperature fluctuations and low availability of nutrients. The UV radiation is especially problematic for lifeforms inhabiting the lakes and acts as a
mutagen
In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes nucleic acid, genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can ca ...
, damaging cellular DNA. Lakes in the neighbourhood of Laguna Vilama include Laguna Coruto to the northwest across the border with Bolivia and Laguna Palar to the southeast, and there are more waterbodies east of Vilama.
Laguna Vilama lies at elevation in the Puna of Argentina and has a surface area of and an average depth of . It is one of the largest lakes in the Puna and developed within the southern moat of the Vilama caldera; the volcano draws its name from the lake. The waters of the lake are extremely clear and have a low
chlorophyll
Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...
content owing to a lack of nutrients. However, they are also rich in arsenic and extremely saline with
sodium chloride
Sodium chloride , commonly known as salt (although sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35.45 g ...
being the predominant salt. A hot spring is found at its shores.
Climate and environment
The climate of the region is dry with precipitation of less than and cold with mean temperature of ; temperatures can reach during the day and drop to during the night. Precipitation mostly originates from the
South American Monsoon
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...
.
Laguna Vilama and some neighbouring lakes have been classified as
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
The environment around these lakes is called "Desert Puna" or "Salt Puna" and is uninhabited owing to its dry climate. Vegetation includes ferns and grasses in part associated with wetlands such as '' Festuca'', ''
Oxychloe andina
''Oxychloe'' is a genus of plants in family Juncaceae described as a genus in 1860.
The genus is native to the Andes of South America.Kirschner, J. & al. (2002). Juncaceae. Species Plantarum: Flora of the World 6-8: 1-237, 1-336,1-192. Australia ...
Polylepis
''Polylepis'' is a genus comprising 28 recognised shrub and tree species, that are endemic to the mid- and high-elevation regions of the tropical Andes. This group is unique in the rose family in that it is predominantly wind-pollinated. They are ...
'' and '' Yareta''. At Laguna Vilama and other lakes birds like Andean geese,
Darwin's rhea
Darwin's rhea or the lesser rhea (''Rhea pennata'') is a large flightless bird, the smaller of the two extant species of rheas. It is found in the Altiplano and Patagonia in South America.
Description
The lesser rhea stands at tall. Length ...
, ducks and flamingos can be observed, mammals in the region include
chinchilla
Chinchillas are either of two species (''Chinchilla chinchilla'' and ''Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha. They are slightly larger and more robust than ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mount ...
vizcacha
Viscacha or vizcacha (, ) are rodents of two genera (''Lagidium'' and ''Lagostomus'') in the family Chinchillidae. They are native to South America and convergently resemble rabbits.
The five extant species of viscacha are:
*The plains vis ...
s.
Microbial mats have been observed at Laguna Vilama.
Diatom
A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group comprising sev ...
s can be found in the lake waters, and the diatom species '' Staurophora vilamae'', the bacterial species '' Halomonas vilamensis'' and '' Halopeptonella vilamensis'' - now known as '' Spiribacter vilamensis'' - were first discovered in Laguna Vilama.
The environment around these lakes has remained stable over the last three millennia, but since the 1970s a trend towards a drier climate has been observed, accompanied by a shrinkage of the lake.
Human use
Despite the dry climate, animals, minerals and wetlands have drawn humans to the region. The grasses and herbs are used by inhabitants of the towns of Cusi Cusi in Argentina and Quetena in Bolivia as pasture, birds are used for their
egg
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
s and
feather
Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier ...
s in e.g. religious ceremonies and larger mammals are hunted. In addition, mining took place.
Archeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and ...
s are found, including chullpas, the site Chillagua Grande close to the southern margin of Laguna Vilama. There, enclosures and formerly roofed buildings were identified, which were later used as refuge for pastoralists and travellers. On the eastern shore lies Isla Vilama directly on the shores of the lake; this site features a number of lithic tools and appears to have been used by flamingo hunters.