'Driest Place on Earth' Transforms Into Floral Wonderland Due to Historic Rainfall

[Judi Lynn]

'Driest Place on Earth' Transforms Into Floral Wonderland Due to Historic Rainfall

By AVIANNE TAN
Oct 29, 2015, 6:53 PM ET


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A general view over a mallow field in the Atacama region north of Santiago de Chile, Oct. 21, 2015.
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The Atacama Desert in Chile, also known as the "driest place on Earth," has been transformed into a lush floral wonderland of with pink flowers due to a historic amount of rainfall this past year.

The beauty, however did not come without its pain.

Unusually heavy rainstorms in March and August caused mudslides and floods, killing 28 people in the country and left thousands of others homeless, international news agency EFE reported.

"The Atacama region was punished, but also blessed by the phenomenon of a flourishing desert, something that happens only after the rains, this time brought about by El Niño and climate change," Daniel Diaz, National Tourism Service director in Atacama, told EFE.

More:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/driest-place-earth-transforms-floral-wonderland-due-historic/story?id=34836986

[LonePirate]

1. It's amazing how much beauty our little planet is capable of producing.

[dhill926]

2. stunning...

thanks for this....

[forsaken mortal]

3. A beautiful sea of purple.

[emsimon33]

4. Amazing!

[marym625]

5. beauty, to remember the dead

Kind of poetic.

But what other costs will come?

[hatrack]

6. You can also get blooms of Garra de Leon, which are just beautiful (also rare)

They pop up at the end of long ground tendrils, hence the name - Lion's Paw.

[Goblor]

7. The Dry Valleys

I wonder if we'll be around to see this occur in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica? I wonder if there's an ancient seed bank there, ready to sprout? Truly the driest place on Earth ...

[patricia43]

8. Some other beautiful photos

For this Atacama desert's photo source click here