The Chilean Coastal Range () is a mountain range that runs from north to south along the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

coast of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

parallel to the Andean Mountains, extending from Morro de Arica in the north to Taitao Peninsula, where it ends at the Chile triple junction, in the south. The range has a strong influence on the

climate of Chile Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and Statistical dispersion, variability of Meteorology, meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to milli ...

since it produces a

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

to the east. Because of this the vegetation growing on the seaward slopes is much more exuberant than in the interior. Compared to the coastal lowlands and the Intermediate Depression, it is sparsely populated with land use varying from protected areas to grazing and

silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, as well as quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests ...

. The range is present in all Chilean regions, except for Coquimbo Region and Magallanes Region.

Geography

Like the Andes, the coastal range becomes progressively lower with increasing latitude. The range begins at Morro de Arica in the north and reaches its highest point, of above sea level, in Sierra Vicuña Mackenna in the Antofagasta Region. Between

Copiapó Copiapó () is a List of cities in Chile, city and communes of Chile, commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal List of towns in Chile, town of Caldera, Chile, Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capi ...

and

Aconcagua Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in both the Western Hemisphere and the ...

rivers, in the so-called Norte Chico region, the range fuses with the Andes. Just north of Santiago the range separates from the Andes but comes close to it again near Paine, a southern suburb of Santiago, and San Fernando. From Santiago south the range loses height until reaching the Bío-Bío River, beyond which the Nahuelbuta range emerges which reaches about 1500 m in its central parts. South of Nahuelbuta Range, in the

Araucanía Region The Araucanía ( ), La Araucanía Region ( ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions, and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south. Its capital and largest city is Temuco; other important cities ...

, the coastal range is replaced by a flatland area. South of Toltén River the range rises again as the Cordillera de Mahuidanchi. Beyond the heights of Corral this range changes into Cordillera Pelada. From Chacao Channel south the range is penetrated by the sea creating islands and peninsulas. Chiloé Island, the largest of these, has two ranges: Cordillera del Piuchén from Chacao Channel to Cucao Lake and Pirulil Range in the southern half. South of Chiloé the portions of the range above sea level form the Guaitecas and the Chonos Archipelagos. The southern extreme of the range forms the Taitao Peninsula and its sub-peninsula Tres Montes. The range can be divided in several minor ranges. Some of these ranges and their boundaries are: The Road to the Future

* Sierra Vicuña Mackenna (24–25° S) * Vizcachas Mountains (33° S) * Cordillera de Nahuelbuta (37–38° S) ** Imperial- Toltén River lowland * Cordillera de Queule (39°) * Cordillera de Mitropulli (39°) ** Lingue River * Loncoche Massif ** Cordillera de Troltrolhue ** Cerro Llecué * Cordillera de Oncol (39° S) ** Valdivia River * Altos de Valdivia (40° S) ** Chaihuín River * Cordillera Pelada (40° S) * Cordillera El Sarao (41° S) * Cordillera del Piuchén (42° S) ** Cucao and Huillinco Lake * Pirulil Range (42–43° S)

Geology

The range has no single structural or lithological origin but is the result of the alignment of horst, forearc highs and upthrusted blocks along Chile's coast. The range was separated from the Andes during the Tertiary rise of the Andes due to the

subsidence Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope mov ...

of the Intermediate Depression. The range is made of different lithological units. From Valparaíso Region to Lanalhue Fault the bedrock is largely made up of the Coastal Batholith of central Chile. These igneous rocks were once part of a proto-Andean magmatic belt. South of Lanalhue Fault most of the range is made up by the Bahía Mansa Metamorphic Complex which is made up of medium grade metamorphic rocks including

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

s. The analogous granites of the northern part of the coast range are placed inside the Andes in this latitudes. During the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

regions of the Chilean Coast Range hosted several volcanoes. At present it does not show any sign of volcanic activity. The northern part of the Chilean Coast Range contains a series of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

deposits known as the Chilean Iron Belt which are aligned along the Atacama Fault.

References

Síntesis geográfica nacional
, Chilean government.

External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Cordillera de la Costa (Chile) Landforms of Antofagasta Region Landforms of Biobío Region Landforms of Los Lagos Region Landforms of Los Ríos Region Landforms of Santiago Metropolitan Region Landforms of Valparaíso Region Mountain ranges of Chile

Geography

Geology

See also

References

External links