Valle de la Luna (Bolivia)
Encyclopedia
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
, in the Pedro Domingo Murillo Province
Pedro Domingo Murillo Province
Pedro Domingo Murillo is a province in the Bolivian department of La Paz. It contains the Bolivian administrative capital, La Paz, as well as the major city of El Alto.- Subdivision :...
, La Paz Department, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. It is composed of an area where erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
has worn away the majority of a mountain. Due to being composed of clay rather than rock, over the centuries the elements have created a somewhat odd work of art here, like a desert filled with stalagmites. It is similar to another zone of La Paz that is known as el Valle de las Animas (the Valley of the Souls). It is an important site of the famous holiday, Dias de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
The mountains surrounding La Paz are composed of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
. It is interesting to note that the mineral content of the mountains varies greatly between individual mountains. As a result, the sides of the mountains are different colors, creating very striking optical illusions. A majority of them are a clear beige or light brown color. There are also areas that are almost red, with sections of dark violet.
See also
- Valle de la Luna, Potosí, Bolivia (El Sillar)