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Copyright of Estudios Atacameños is the property of Estudios Atacamenos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estudios Atacameños is the property of Estudios Atacamenos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several years of sea surface temperature data (1997–2003) for the coast of Antofagasta Bay—a semi-enclosed bay in northern Chile—were analyzed in order to further exploring the nature of a warm-water retention pattern inside the bay. Based on time series techniques, we were able to confirm the persistence of warm water in the bay. This warm feature was found immediately downwind of the upwelling center at Jorgillo Point, where temperatures averaged 2–3ºC more than at the exposed upwelling sites outside and the bay. Temporal and spatial patterns in sea surface temperature were determined and showed being well associated with wind variability, indicated by the significant correlation between the first empirical orthogonal function modes of temperature variability and wind forcing. We discuss how the persistence of this warm feature and the thermal gradients or frontal structures associated with it are likely to play an important role in retaining larvae or other planktonic organisms in the bay.

The Upper Jurassic volcanic rocks of the Pre-Cordillera and High Andes of northern Chile (26–31°S) represent a back-arc magmatic chain formed during an earlier stage of Andean subduction. After the Callovian, the back-arc basin gradually changed from marine to continental conditions and was characterized by basaltic to rhyolitic rocks erupted along two belts, parallel to the coeval arc. The western belt comprises the Picudo and Algarrobal formations, whereas the eastern belt comprises the Lagunillas Formation and the Quebrada Vicuñita Beds. New major and trace element data, along with whole rock Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes are presented for these volcanic belts and compared to the geochemical features of the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous arc magmatism. Ar–Ar and U–Pb ages constrain the back arc volcanism to have evolved between 163.9±1.4 and 148.9±1.2Ma. Rocks belonging to the western belt have steep multi-element patterns and low concentrations of HREE, suggesting the presence of garnet in the source, and a more radiogenic isotopic composition than the arc magmatism. Parental magmas of these back-arc lavas would have been generated through melting of a depleted mantle, although less depleted than the sub-arc mantle, and interacted with minor amounts of Paleozoic crust. The geochemical composition of the rocks belonging to the eastern belt is more heterogeneous and suggests involvement of different magmatic sources, including depleted mantle as well as an OIB-type mantle within the wedge. In spite the fact that the Jurassic Andean arc was built over a continental plate, the architecture of the volcanic chains and geochemical variations observed among the arc and back-arc rocks in northern Chile resemble those in modern island arcs, and thus support the hypothesis that early Andean subduction developed under extensional tectonic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papeles de Población is the property of Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Marine protected areas of multiple uses (MPA-MU), are an important management tool to protect biodiversity and regulate the use of coastal marine resources. However, robust conservation plans require an explicit consideration of not only biological but also social components, balancing the protection of biodiversity with a sustainable exploitation of marine resources. Here we applied the decision-making algorithm MARXAN to provide a zoning analysis at the Mejillones Peninsula MPA-MU in northern Chile, one of largest MPA's of the Humboldt Current Marine Ecosystem. We set conservation goals for coarse and fine-filter conservation targets that were crossed out against different threats and pressure factors from human activities across the area. We identified a portfolio of sites for conservation, within the Mejillones Peninsula MPA-MU, representing different ecological systems with different levels of human impacts and vulnerability. These results may serve as a foundational guideline for the future administration of the MPA-MU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the use of a 3-dimensional variational (3DVAR) data assimilation method as part of a numerical model off northern Chile. The numerical model is part of an ocean forecasting project that aims to understand the impact of environmental variability on the distribution of biological species in the area. We assimilated data from a simulated ocean observing system to recover a known state, obtaining a significantly smaller error when compared to a numerical run with no assimilation. Our results validate the computational implementation of the code, and allow us to evaluate the impact of the choice of data in the assimilation process: the assimilation of sea surface height being particularly important. We note that the assimilation of surface data propagates properly to greater depths and reduces the error with reference to the known state. This was possible by using covariance error matrices calculated previously for the California coastal area. The implementation of the data assimilation module is relatively simple and permits its use in operational forecasting systems, and for the design and evaluation of future ocean observational systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios Atacameños is the property of Estudios Atacamenos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estudios Atacameños is the property of Estudios Atacamenos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estudios Atacameños is the property of Estudios Atacamenos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Although large crabs are recognized as important sediment disturbers influencing the structure of benthic communities, the role of dominant predatory crabs in soft-bottom habitats along the Humboldt Current Ecosystem, remains largely unknown. A field study was conducted, hypothesizing that the digging activity of these predators disturbs the habitat thereby leading to a reduction in individual abundance, biomass and species richness; these changes result in a modified structure of macrobenthic communities. A directed sampling (crab pits vs. reference areas) showed significant reductions in total abundances in pits compared to reference areas, but no differences were observed in taxonomic richness or benthic biomass. Short-term cage experiment showed significant decreases in total abundance and biomass of macroinvertebrates in predator inclusion treatments compared to exclusions and controls. In consequence, our results confirmed that burrowing activities and the generation of small disturbed sediment patches influence the community structure. These results highlight the importance of large cancrid crabs in soft-bottom habitats, where their modification of the physical configuration of the sediment affects community structure over small spatial scales. Crabs are thus an important source of spatial heterogeneity of the sea-floor landscape. This ecological role must be considered in management strategies of the extensive artisanal fishery for these crabs, as current evidence is showing increasing populations of intermediate predators (like cancrid crabs) in many benthic habitats in response to the depletion of top predators. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Estudios Atacameños is the property of Estudios Atacamenos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Chile is expecting a 5.4% growth in energy consumption per year until 2030, requiring new and better solutions for the upward trend of its electricity demand. This state leads to select and study one of the potential alternatives for electricity generation: concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Such renewable technology found in Chile a very favorable condition. Recent researches indicate Atacama Desert as one of the best regions for solar energy worldwide, having an average radiation higher than in places where CSP plants are currently implemented, e.g. Spain and USA. The aim of this study is to present an analysis of levelized energy cost (LEC) for different power capacities of CSP plants placed in distinct locations in northern Chile. The results showed that CSP plants can be implemented in Atacama Desert with LECs around 19¢US$/kWh when a gas-fired backup and thermal energy storage (TES) systems are fitted. This value increases to approximately 28¢US$/kWh if there is no backup system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In Chile crops of the northern scallop Argopecten purpuratus have been developed intensively from seeds obtained in natural environment, and since 1980 from hatchery's seed, when this technique could be controlled and developed. In order to provide information on the performance of seeds of northern scallops in this study growth in length between cohorts produced from seeds obtained in natural environment (CN) and hatchery (CH) in Tongoy (Chile) was compared using ANCOVA. We assessed the consistency of this comparison in different years and seasons. The compared cohorts are pairs of cohorts produced simultaneously in the years 2003 (spring), 2005 (winter) and 2006 (summer). Statistical analysis showed that there are significant statistical differences between cohorts obtained from natural environment and those obtained in hatchery. The Tukey's test showed differences between CN2003 and CH2003 and also between CN2005 and CH2005, while there were no significant differences between CN2006 and CH2006. These differences indicate that the cohorts of natural environment seeds grew faster than those of hatchery. Inter annual comparison showed significant statistical differences. These results are discussed in terms of the cultivation temperature and the heterozygosity for the growing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium as an essential element for human life is still a subject of controversy. However, it is accepted that it does have profound neurological effects and is a valuable treatment for bipolar disease. Generally, it occurs in barely trace amounts in groundwater with few major exceptions. One of these is the Northern area of Chile where all potable water and many of the food stuffs contain high levels of lithium; between 100 and 10,000 times higher than most rivers in North America. Inevitably, the local population has been exposed to these levels in their drinking water for as long as the region has been populated. The present report details lithium levels in all the surface water sources of Northern Chile with comparison to that elsewhere. The implications for the local population are discussed and their situation compared to those exposed to other sources of lithium pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rocky fish (Graus nigra) commonly named "mulata" is an important resource along the coast of central and northern Chile. Due to great acceptation as fish for human consumption have been intensively fished so as it's needed develop its production by means of aquaculture techniques. First attempts for culturing this species have given promising results with regard to production of larvae and juvenile fish. In this study results of growth and feeding of hatchery produced juveniles are reported. Fish juveniles were generated using wild brooders by means of application standard techniques of hatchery. Cultivation of juvenile fish was developed in tanks supplied with not filtered seawater and provided with constant aireation. Results related to food consumption regarding to feeding behaviour and feeding frequency are described. Also, quantitative relationships related to growth in a period comprising between 70 and 205 days after hatching are reported. Aspects related with growth indexes and water temperature and the antecedents for establishing criteria for feeding this fish under culture conditions are discussed. In addition the perspective for developing the culture of this species and its scaling-up is examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A paleomagnetic study from the earliest Paleocene Cerros de Montecristo Quartz Monzonite and its Jurassic to uppermost Cretaceous host rock (northern Chile, ∼22°S) provided high-temperature, high-coercivity magnetizations of dominantly reversed polarity. The remanences of the tilted host rock gave a negative fold-test and are indistinguishable from the remanences found in the pluton, indicating that the uppermost Cretaceous rocks underwent deformation before intrusion of the earliest Paleocene pluton, thus documenting a K–T deformation at the locality. Although this deformation may be another product of typical subduction-related noncollisional tectonics in the Central Andes, an alternative hypothesis, permitted by plate reconstructions, is that the event was associated with collision of an oceanic plate boundary. This latter hypothesis may also provide a context for several other tectonic events from northern Chile to the Patagonian Andes, wherein deformation would the consequence of a southward migrating triple junction between the latest Maastrichtian and Early Eocene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A megafl ora preserved by impressions in three distinct levels from the Quebrada del Salitre Formation, Upper Triassic, from the locality Quebrada de Doña Inés Chica (26° 07' S - 69° 20' W), 3rd Region, Chile, is described. The taphofl ora is composed by Neocalamites sp. cf. N. carrerei Halle, Cladophlebis cf. mesozoica Kurtz ex Frenguelli, Dictyophyllum (D.) tenuifolium (Stipanicic & Menéndez) Bonetti & Herbst, Gleichenites cachivaritensis Herbst, Dicroidium odontopteroides (Morris) Gothan, Dicroidium lancifolium (Morris) Gothan, Pterophyllum sp. a, Pterophyllum sp. b, Sphenobaiera cf. steinmannii (Solms-Laubach) Anderson & Anderson, Sphenobaiera. cf. schenckii (Feistmantel) Florin, Linguifolium gracile Anderson & Anderson, Linguifolium tenison-woodsii (Jack & Etheridge) Retallack, Heidiphyllum cf. elongatum (Morris) Retallack, cf. Rochipteris sp., Matatiella suarezii nov. sp., Umkomasia sp. and an undetermined fructifi cation. The fructifi cations Matatiella and ?Switzianthus are recorded for the fi rst time in the Triassic of Chile. A paleoenvironmental analysis, based on foliar characters and preservation of the fossils, together with sedimentological data, allows proposing a subtropical seasonal, meso- to xeromorphic climate and the existence of several paleocommunities for the Upper Triassic in the Atacama region and the deposition of Quebrada del Salitre Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial populations are involved in the arsenic biogeochemical cycle in catalyzing arsenic transformations and playing indirect roles. To investigate which ecotypes among the diverse microbial communities could have a role in cycling arsenic in salt lakes in Northern Chile and to obtain clues to facilitate their isolation in pure culture, sediment samples from Salar de Ascotán and Salar de Atacama were cultured in diluted LB medium amended with NaCl and arsenic, at different incubation conditions. The samples and the cultures were analyzed by nucleic acid extraction, fingerprinting analysis, and sequencing. Microbial reduction of As was evidenced in all the enrichments carried out in anaerobiosis. The results revealed that the incubation factors were more important for determining the microbial community structure than arsenic species and concentrations. The predominant microorganisms in enrichments from both sediments belonged to the Firmicutes and Proteobacteria phyla, but most of the bacterial ecotypes were confined to only one system. The occurrence of an active arsenic biogeochemical cycle was suggested in the system with the highest arsenic content that included populations compatible with microorganisms able to transform arsenic for energy conservation, accumulate arsenic, produce H, HS and acetic acid (potential sources of electrons for arsenic reduction) and tolerate high arsenic levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results of elemental physicochemical characterisation (by SEM-EDX) from two rock painting sites in northern Chile, Tangani and Vilacaurani. Different pigments have been identified, specifically iron and manganese oxides, commonly found worldwide. The presence of minor elements, such as arsenic, is also observed. Analysis of possible sources (by ED-XRF) enables us to infer that arsenic came from water used as a possible diluent. These results bring new information about the paint technologies developed by the pre-Hispanic peoples in northern Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios Atacameños is the property of Estudios Atacamenos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reproductive and population parameters of Thais chocolata that would contribute to the validation of the current extraction standards were obtained by performing a study in the protected area of La Rinconada Marine Reserve, Antofagasta, Chile, from December 2008 to January 2010. In terms of reproduction, the results revealed asynchronic gonad development in the population, with specimens in different stages of maturity throughout the year. Mature individuals were distributed between 5 and 13 m depth, forming aggregations at 5 m depth during much of the year. Periods of greater maturity were observed from July to August and November to January, with the most important aggregations at the end of both periods. A relationship was observed between the months with the greatest maturity and aggregations and the months with the highest daily temperature fluctuations. At the population level, the results allowed us to estimate 2.3*106 individuals, with 39% of this population over the minimum legal size (55 mm). The relatively slow growth estimated for this population was probably influenced by the high variability of the bottom temperature in this area. The critical size and size at first maturity of the population were higher than the minimal legal size, making it is necessary to review the current fishing regulation for this species. The effectiveness of the State marine reserves in the conservation of this marine resource was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild juveniles of Graus nigra were collected and acclimated for 30 days in ponds with open- water flow and ambient temperature; the specimens were given a formulated feed. Fish individuals were separated into six groups that were studied for 196 days. The average survival was 80%. The total length increased an average of 93.3% for large individuals (groups 4, 5, 6) and 125% for small ones (groups 1, 2, 3). The total weight showed an average increase of 434% for large fishes (groups 4, 5, 6) and 707% for small ones (groups 1, 2, 3). Graus nigra was found to tolerate captivity and handling, with a relatively high survival rate, making it an attractive species for aquaculture in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth and survival of juvenile octopus, Octopus mimus, from northern Chile, fed three different diets were analyze during 57 days. Two of the diets (A and B) were wet diets stuffed in lamb gut with a gelatin solution, and the third (C) was a natural control. Diet (A) was a mixture of chopped fish meat (Cheilodactylus variegatus) and pellets of salmon meal; diet B was made up of clam (Protothaca thaca) mixed with C. variegatus meat; and diet (C) (control) consisted of fresh frozen clams. The experimental design was based on repetitive measures; the octopuses were supported individually 70-L tanks, with constant sea water circulation and aeration. The octopuses fed diet B did not registred mortality, whereas those fed the control (diet C) presented a mortality of 16.7%. Growth rates were similar (P > 0.05) for these two groups, with absolute growth rates (AGR) of 7.0 ± 0.91 (g d-1) and 6.6 ± 1.10 (g d-1), respectively. The octopuses fed diet A had a mortality of 33.3% and an AGR of -1.70 ± 0.37 (g d-1). Diet A, which contained pellets of ground salmon meal, was not well-accepted, and the weight of the octopuses in this group declined. Diet B, prepared with gelatin from animal origins, was no less palatable or acceptable than the control diet of fresh frozen clams, and the individuals in these two groups showed similar growth. These results will allow us to improve the nutritional quality of artificial diets in order to maximize the growth of O. mimus in captivity. Keywords: Octopus mimus, growth, diet, stuffed gut, captivity, northern Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contents of Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, Fe, Al and Ni in the muscle tissue of Cancer polyodon from Caldera, Calderilla, Inglesa, and Salada bays (Atacama, Chile) were quantified. The results were compared with similar studies by other authors and with the national and international regulatory standards for heavy metal contents in crustaceans for human consumption. In increasing order, the metal contents in C. polyodon were: Cd< Ni< Cu< Pb< Zn

Despite indications of its presence in past ages, until the end of the last century, no records showed Choromytilus chorus north of 23°S. Certain changes related to coastal water masses in the zone could be responsible for the present lack or scarcity of this species in the coastal area. However, a decade ago, this species appeared in northern Chile in the context of fisheries. This study confirms the re-establishment of C. chorus in the Antofagasta and Tarapaca regions through surveys at six sites where the species had been registered and spat collection using suspended collectors. This species has interacted with Aulacomya ater, displacing it towards deeper habitats. The re-establishment of C. chorus began in the Atacama and Antofagasta regions and later extended to the Tarapaca region. Thus, we hypothesize that the dynamics of these shoals correspond to a metapopulation structure that has allowed larval advection, given the current system and predominant winds in the northern zone, from populations existing in the Coquimbo region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Musical Chilena is the property of Universidad de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To better understand the population dynamics of fishery resource species, 160 zooplankton samples were obtained with a Bongo net at 40 oceanographic stations around Caldera and Coquimbo in October and December, 2005, and analyzed. All crustacean decapod larvae were sorted, and Heterocarpus reedi, Cervimunida johni, and Pleuroncodes monodon larvae were identified. For all three species, the highest abundances of early zoea were found in October in Coquimbo, whereas advanced larval stages were predominant in December. In Caldera, advanced larval stages of H. reedi and P. monodon, and early zoeas of C. johni were dominant during both sampling months. The frequency of occurrence of H. reedi larvae was similar during both sampling months in Coquimbo and greater in October in Caldera. The frequency of occurrence of the larvae of P. monodon and C. johni was greater in both areas in October. All the megalops captured in both zones and sampling months corresponded to a single morphotype, with morphological characteristics similar to the smallest P. monodon juvenile specimens. Based on the larval distribution and abundance of these three spe- cies, it is postulated that spawning occurs earlier in the Caldera area than around Coquimbo, mainly in areas near the coast, given the differences in abundance of the developmental stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article applies and compares three split-window (SW) algorithms, which allowed the estimation of sea surface temperature using data obtained from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of satellites. The algorithms were validated by comparison with in situ measurements of sea temperature obtained from a hydrographical buoy located off the coast of northern Chile (21°21'S, 70°6'W; Tarapacá Region), approximately 3 km from the coast. The best results were obtained by the application of the algorithm proposed by Sobrino & Raissouni (2000). The mean and standard deviation of the differences between the temperatures measured in situ and those estimated by SW were 0.3º and 0.8ºK, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The use of Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry (InSAR) in northern Chile, one of the most seismically active regions in the world, is of great importance. InSAR enables geodesists not only to accurately measure Earth’s motions but also to improve fault slip map resolution and our knowledge of the time evolution of the earthquake cycle processes. Fault slip mapping is critical to better understand the mechanical behavior of seismogenic zones and has fundamental implications for assessing hazards associated with megathrust earthquakes. However, numerous sources of errors can significantly affect the accuracy of the geophysical parameters deduced by InSAR. Among them, atmospheric phase delays caused by changes in the distribution of water vapor can lead to biased model parameter estimates and/or to difficulties in interpreting deformation events captured with InSAR. The hyper-arid climate of northern Chile might suggest that differential delays are of a minor importance for the application of InSAR techniques. Based on GPS, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data our analysis shows that differential phase delays have typical amplitudes of about 20 mm and may exceptionally exceed 100 mm and then may impact the inferences of fault slip for even a Mw 8 earthquakes at 10% level. In this work, procedures for mitigating atmospheric effects in InSAR data using simultaneous MODIS time series are evaluated. We show that atmospheric filtering combined with stacking methods are particularly well suited to minimize atmospheric contamination in InSAR imaging and significantly reduce the impact of atmospheric delay on the determination of fundamental earthquake parameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sky observation in sub-tropical Andean areas, part of ancient Collasuyu, during the Inca empire (ca. 1470 A.D.) was characterized by the combined use of geographical, social, psychological and natural elements of the entorno (environment or landscape). From a phenomenological perspective, it would be understood as: the place (point of observation), the path (line or relation), the horizon (calendrical marker) and the zenith/anti-zenith (vertical projection) as an expression of ‘dwelling or living in the world’. I present results obtained from a spatio-temporal analysis of mountain worship which took place at the Atacama Indian community of Socaire, northern Chile (23° 35′ 28″S, 67° 52′ 36″W, 3274m AMSL). These indicate the existence of an animistic relationship between astronomical observations, the worship of mountains, and agricultural practices. The psychological phenomena of pareidolia, apophenia and hierophany also contribute to explain the mimetolith of the ‘Hand of God’ (formed by the Tumisa, Lausa, Chiliques, Ipira and Miñiques mountains) and the social categories of space and time in Socaire: ‘above, here, and down’; ‘right and left’; ‘female and male’; ‘noon and midnight’; ‘north and south’; and ‘visible and invisible’ (as complementary opposites or yanantin). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Estudios Atacameños is the property of Estudios Atacamenos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses a study on changes induced by El Niño (EN) within the fish community registered off northern Chile between 1982 and 2005. It explored whether changes of coastal fish assemblages are induced by the habitat structure's variability, food availability, and physical/chemical factors. Changes in the area's ichthyofauna during EN due to the invasion of fish species that normally inhabit lower latitudes are described. A biogeographical analysis of fish species reported for neritic habitats was undertaken. Part of the north Chilean coast is indicated as a transition zone between the Peruvian and Chilean ichthyogeographic provinces.

Abstract: We investigate the chemical and isotopic composition of water and gas thermal discharges from six hydrothermal systems in the Tarapacà and Antofagasta regions (northern Chile): Surire, Puchuldiza-Tuja, Pampa Lirima, Pampa Apacheta, El Tatio and Torta de Tocorpuri, to determine the chemical–physical conditions at the fluid source. The chemical facies of the thermal discharges vary from Na+–Cl− (El Tatio, Puchuldiza-Tuja and part of Surire where SO4 2 −-rich waters also occur) to Na+(Ca2+)–Cl−(SO4 2 −) (Pampa Lirima), Ca2+–SO4 2 −(HCO3 −) (Torta de Tocorpuri) and Ca2+–SO4 2 − (Pampa Apacheta). The gas seeps are characterized by the dominance of CO2, H2S and CH4 with N2/Ar ratios that occasionally are up to 450. Significant amounts of SO2 and HCl are present at Pampa Apacheta. Water and gas geothermometry suggests that El Tatio and Puchuldiza-Tuja fluid reservoirs have relatively high reservoir equilibrium temperature (up to 270°C). Gases from Pampa Apacheta apparently equilibrated at unusually high temperature for hydrothermal fluids (up to 350°C), being likely related to an active magmatic system, as testified by the presence of highly acidic gas compounds such as SO2 and HCl. On the contrary, low equilibrium temperatures were calculated for the Surire fluids (<200°C), suggesting interactions of deep-originated fluids with meteoric water at shallow depth. Shallow, low temperature aquifers mask any signal of deep fluids in the Pampa Lirima and Torta de Tocorcupi thermal discharges. Despite the variations in temperatures, He isotopic compositions and redox conditions of the fluid reservoirs consistently indicate a significant contribution from magmatic degassing. Although geophysical studies are necessary to better constrain the geothermal potential of northern Chile, the geothermometric estimations carried out in the present study indicate that El Tatio, Pampa Apacheta, Surire and Puchuldiza-Tuja can be regarded as the most promising areas and deserve more detailed geological investigations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents an analysis of the pre-Columbian mining and metallurgy at the Antofagasta Region, in coastal northern Chile. Particular focus is given to the first iron oxide mine found in such region, dated from the Archaic times, in addition to the extraction of red pigment which predates copper mining, and the findings of metallic artifacts.

Sutural or wormians bones are accesory bones, with genetic and heriditary importance, and consided ethnic variables (Orts Llorca, 1958; Figún & Garino, 1992). They are characterized by be variables in number, size and shape, located in sutures and fontanelles, preferably in posteriorly placed sutures (Sappey 1888, Sicher, 1965; Sánchez-Lara et al., 2007). They are of interest in human anatomy, physical anthropology, imagenology and legal medicine (Lips & García-Hernández, 1983; Henríquez-Pino et al., 1992; Braga et al., 2000; García-Hernández et al., 2007). Cranial deformation, pathological or artificial, stimulates the formation of accidental ossification centers, increasing the formation of ossicles in sutures and fontanelles (Del Papa & Pérez, 2007). Artificial cranial deformation was common in amerindian cultures, for aesthetic, magical or religious purpose, as a form of ethnic identificate, social, nobility or associated with the ruling group (Torres-Rouff, 2007) and it was performed applying wooden boards or bandages in the head of newborn. The hypothesis of investigation is to determinate if there is a greater number of ossicles lambdoid in skulls of atacameños in Northern Chile with and without artificial cranial deformation. To fulfill this goal we studied 77 atacameños skulls of both sexes (27 deformed y 50 not deformed), selected at random between 293 individuals of the Coyo-Orient cementery, dated between 300-1200 A.C. and these remains are part of the Museum R.P. Gustavo Le Paige in San Pedro de Atacama of the North Catholic University. All skulls were analyzed, photographed in all anatomical norms and measured to obtain the cranial index. There prevalence of lambdoid bones in artificial cranial deformed (p<0,05=0,00000249247), with average cranial index with greater hyperbrachycephaly (92,63 DS 9,72) and greater percentage of brachycephalic skulls with lambdoid bones (92,6%-32%; p<0,05=3,67073E-7). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]