El Leoncito National Park
Encyclopedia
The El Leoncito National Park is a national park
of Argentina
, located at the Calingasta Department
, in the southwest of the province
of San Juan. It has an area of 760 km². It was created in 1994 as a reserve and became a national park in 2002, in order to protect representative samples of the Central Andean puna
and the Southern Andean steppe
, as well as historical and paleontological sites (including a portion of the Inca's Way).
Given the lack of atmospheric pollution in this area, it is particularly suitable for astronomical observations. Within the park are two astronomical observatories: Félix Aguilar Observatory
and the Leoncito Astronomical Complex
. (Compare this with Mount Catequilla in Ecuador, as described under Astronomical observations in the article about the equator
.)
The climate is cold, with permanent ice, in the High Andean region. In the Puna, the climate is cold and dry, with large thermical amplitudes. The average annual rainfall is 200 mm. The flora is mostly made up of shrub
s, typical of dry mountainous areas. The fauna include important species like the guanaco and birds of prey such as the peregrine falcon
(the fastest bird on Earth).
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, located at the Calingasta Department
Calingasta Department
Calingasta is a department of the province of San Juan . It is located at the southwestern tip of the province, which is predominantly a landscape of mountains clearly, mountains and rivers...
, in the southwest of the province
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of San Juan. It has an area of 760 km². It was created in 1994 as a reserve and became a national park in 2002, in order to protect representative samples of the Central Andean puna
Central Andean puna
The Central Andean puna is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in the Andes of southern Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina.-Setting:...
and the Southern Andean steppe
Southern Andean steppe
The Southern Andean steppe is an montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion occurring along the border of Chile and Argentina in the high elevations of the southern Andes mountain range.-Setting:...
, as well as historical and paleontological sites (including a portion of the Inca's Way).
Given the lack of atmospheric pollution in this area, it is particularly suitable for astronomical observations. Within the park are two astronomical observatories: Félix Aguilar Observatory
Félix Aguilar Observatory
Félix Aguilar Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Argentina. It has IAU observatory code 808, and was known as "El Leoncito Observatory" until 1990 , when it became Estación Astronómica Carlos Ulrico Cesco , in honour of Dr. Cesco's many contributions to the founding and operation of the...
and the Leoncito Astronomical Complex
Leoncito Astronomical Complex
The Leoncito Astronomical Complex is an astronomical observatory in the San Juan Province of Argentina. The Leoncito Astronomical Complex is one of two observatories located within El Leoncito National Park, located in an area of the country which rarely sees cloud cover. The other facility is the...
. (Compare this with Mount Catequilla in Ecuador, as described under Astronomical observations in the article about the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
.)
The climate is cold, with permanent ice, in the High Andean region. In the Puna, the climate is cold and dry, with large thermical amplitudes. The average annual rainfall is 200 mm. The flora is mostly made up of shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, typical of dry mountainous areas. The fauna include important species like the guanaco and birds of prey such as the peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
(the fastest bird on Earth).