El Niño transforms Chile's Atacama Desert as thousands of hectares bloom
Exceptionally heavy El Niño rains have awakened millions of seeds lying dormant underground, blanketing vast swathes of one of the planet's driest regions with flowers.
In a remarkable transformation, Chile's Atacama Desert, renowned as one of the world's driest regions, has come alive with a vivid display of purple and white blossoms. Dubbed the "desierto florido" or "flowering desert," this natural phenomenon is the result of an intense rainfall event linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon.
Beneath the desert's barren surface, dormant seeds and bulbs from approximately 200 different plant species have been waiting for the right conditions to germinate. The heavy downpour has provided the perfect environment, leading to a stunning bloom that has captured the attention of visitors. With rainfall peaking at over 180 millimeters in some areas, exceeding any recorded levels, the desert's landscape has been dramatically altered, attracting crowds eager to capture the unique sight on camera.
According to César Pizarro, head of biodiversity in Atacama for Chile's National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), this extraordinary event is expected to peak in October, with up to 15,000 hectares potentially drenched in floral beauty.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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