Monte Desert - South America Deserts

Monte Desert
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The Monte Desert, is a South American desert, located within the country of Argentina. The desert lies southeast of the Atacama Desert, north of the larger Patagonian Desert, and east of the Andes.

Geography and Climate
The delineations between the Monte Desert, the Atacama Desert, and the Patagonian Desert are not exact and the desert seems to be more-or-less continuous with the other two nearby deserts. The geography of the land is very similar to that of the interior Patagonian Desert, with volcanic sediments, piedmont plains, and large mountain blocks, a lot of these the result of its proximity to the ancient Andes.

Due to the region lying on the eastern, or leeward, side of the Andes, it experiences very little rain. This rain shadow effect is the primary reason for the aridity of the region and for the formation of the Monte and the nearby deserts. Although a difference between this desert and the other two deserts is the lack of intensity of effect from the cold water currents off the South American coast for the Monte Desert. This allows the desert to support a wider variety of life than the other two more extreme deserts.[1

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