(Note: red dots on map are Rio Desaguadero valley drill sites) |
The
Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia, is an internally drained closed basin situated
between the western and eastern Cordilleras in the central Andes. It extends
from 16 to 22 degrees S latitude and 65 to 69 degrees W longitude and has
an average elevation of 4000 m above sea level. The northern and central
portions of the Altiplano are occupied by two large, permanent lakes: Lake
Titicaca and Lago Poopo. The more arid central and southern region contains
the great salars (salt pans), Coipasa and Uyuni. Lake Titicaca, in the
northern portion of the basin, lies at 3810 m above sea level. It is fed
by rivers that drain the western Andes and the glaciers and snow fields
of the Cordillera Real and the Cordillera Apolobamba, to the north. The
lake's only outlet is the Rio Desaguadero. The Desaguadero flows south
into Lake Poopo. Our most recent research has been concentrated in the
Rio Desaguadero, Ilave, and Ramis valleys, where we have investigated fluvial
response to changes in climate and the level of Lake Titicaca (base level).
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