Laguna Miscanti lies in the Central Andes of Chile, southeast of the Salar de Atacama. The closest town is Socaire, away from the lake. It is a maximally deep lake with clear brackish water which covers a surface area of ; the lake has the shape of an arrowhead with a peninsula jutting from the northern shore. The lake has a flat lakefloor that is subdivided into two basins by a lava flow. In the Atacama Altiplano, Laguna Miscanti is among the biggest waterbodies. The mountains Cerro Miscanti and Cerro Miniques lie northeast and south of the lake, respectively. south of the lake lies another waterbody, Laguna Miniques. In the past, the two lakes were connected, producing a large waterbody which has left beach terraces in the landscape and whose water levels were about higher than today. The separation of the lakes probably occurred during the Pleistocene, when a lava flow erupted from Cerro Miniques split the lake basin in two. A number of creeks enter into Laguna Miscanti from the north, east and south, and two springs can be found on its northern shores. Miscanti and Miniques occupy fault-bound basins, which are controlled by the Quebrada Nacimiento fault; the fault is also known as the Miscanti Fault and is part of a detachment fault system east of the Salar de Atacama, which separates the Western Cordillera from the Cordillera Domeyko. This fault extends from the Purico complex, Llano de Chajnantor to Cerro Miniques and has formed a ridge, which has dammed lava flows from Cerro Miscanti and Cerro Miniques. The basins developed during the Pliocene and Pleistocene; Laguna Lejia also developed along this fault and the fault segment there is also known as Miscanti-Callejon de Varela fault. Volcanoes including Lascar are constructed on this fault, and the Cerros Saltar and Corona north and south of Lascar are lined up on it as well.
Hydrology
The catchment of the lake consists mainly of volcanic and sedimentary rocks ranging from Miocene to Holocene age and covers a surface area of, with Quaternary volcanoes that reach elevations of. The Cordon de Puntas Negras is the principal source of water. Water reaches Laguna Miscanti principally as groundwater, which is directed there by the fault; this may explain why Laguna Miscanti is a permanent lake rather than a playa. The lake has no surface outflow. Presently, water seeps to Miniques through a lava flow along the path of the Quebrada Nacimiento fault; during former lake highstands a combined lake overflowed into the Pampa Varela basin south-southwest of Miniques. The main removal mechanism of water from Laguna Miscanti however is evaporation. Some water is diverted from the catchment and forms a water supply to the town of Peine.
Climate
Presently, the regional climate is arid and cold, leading to the development of ice on the lake surface during winter. The lake area is usually a little warmer than the surrounding region. The region lies between areas dominated by summer precipitation in the northeast and areas dominated by winter precipitation in the southwest. In the late Pleistocene and early Holocene the climate was much wetter and lakes expanded, while the middle Holocene was dry as was the last glacial maximum. The late Pleistocene-early Holocene wet period was particularly noticeable in the Altiplano, where two separate phases of the Lake Tauca occurred. During the middle Holocene dry period, the lake may have dried up completely forming a bog. Climate variability influenced human settlement in the region during the Holocene, which took place mainly during wetter periods and became concentrated in several environmentally favourable spaces during dry periods. An archeological site called "Miscanti-1" is found on the southeastern lake shore.
Biology
grows at the lakeshores. Charophytes, Chara and Myriophyllum are two further aquatic plants that have been identified in the lake. During its highstands, algal bioherms and stromatolithes developed in the water. Diatoms and ostracodes have been identified in the lake sediments, and amphipods have been found in the lake waters. Meadows consisting ofFabiana, Festuca and Stipa chrysophylla grow around the lake, with sparser vegetation found on the upland, consisting of Baccharis species also known as "tolar" and ichu. Fauna that inhabits the area includes birds like flamingos, horned coot, rhea and speckled teal, and mammals like the vicuña. Laguna Miscanti and Laguna Miniques are part of the third sector of the Los Flamencos National Reserve.
