Map of the Month: Pampas and Arid Chaco

Map of the Month: Pampas, Monte, Espinal, and Arid Chaco
Map boundaries: 30 to 40 degrees South; 60 to 70 degrees West
Countries: Argentina and Chile

Overview
The Pampeanas Mountains, located between Cordoba and San Juan and extending northward beyond 30 degrees latitude, are a dry-land region of mountains and eroded rock formations in central Argentina. They are an arid extension of the Chaco region which is in more tropical areas to the north. Ecoregions covering the Pampeanas and Sierras Centrales around Cordoba are called the Arid Chaco, Cordoba montane savanna, and Argentine Monte. The region has been compared to the Great Basin of the U.S. but parts of the Sonoran Desert also sound like an appropriate comparison. The notable Ischiagualasto Provincial Park contains the most complete fossil record known from the Triassic Period, the earliest of the periods of the dinosaurs. In addition to fossils of the ancestors of mammals and dinosaurs, petrified trees up to 130 feet tall are present.

To the east of the mountains is the Argentine Espinal, located between Cordoba and Santa Fe. At the northernmost portion of the map (the most tropical), the Chaco, a tropical dry forest, extends just south of 30 degrees latitude. Lake Chiquita is a saline lake at the southern edge of the Chaco. The Espinal is the transition region between the Pampas grasslands and the dry tropical forest of the Chaco. To the south of the Espinal is the Pampas, the grassland region of Argentina. The lower Parana River cuts through the Pampas, dividing the humid Pampas into two parts.

To the west of about 63 degrees, the humid Pampas become drier as rainfall decreases in La Pampa province. Further to the west in La Pampa, the semi-arid Pampas grade into the Argentine Monte or Cuyo, an arid region at the base of the Andes along the Chilean border. The provinces of Rio Negro, Neuquen, Mendoza, and San Juan are in the Monte region. Rivers rising in the Andes discharge into marshes in the semi-arid Monte. However, larger rivers have been dammed and diverted to support irrigated agriculture in the areas to the east of the Andes.

World Wildlife Fund Ecoregions and Provinces/Political Subdivisions


Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
NT 210, Chaco. Found in Cordoba province of Argentina. Savanna and thorn forests of Prosopis and cactuses.

Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests
NT 404, Valdivian temperate forests. Found in Santiago region of Chile. Nothofagus and Araucaria trees.

Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands
NT 701, Arid Chaco. Found in Catamarca, Cordoba, La Rioja, San Juan, and San Luis provinces of Argentina. Aspidosperma, Prosopis and cactus in savannas; Heterostachys and bromelia in saline soils.
NT 706, Cordoba montane savanna. Found in Cordoba, La Rioja, San Luis, and San Juan provinces of Argentina. Forests of Schinopsis and Lithrea plus grasslands.
NT 708, Humid Chaco. Found in Santa Fe province of Argentina. Grasslands, bogs, and forests of Schinopsis and Apidosperma.

Temperate Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands
NT 801, Argentine Espinal. Found in Cordoba and Santa Fe provinces of Argentina. Deciduous and xerophytic forests, palm groves and grassy savannas.
NT 802, Argentine Monte. Found in La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Neuquen, Rio Negro, San Luis, and San Juan provinces of Argentina. Thorn scrub and dry grasslands with resinous evergreen bushes such as Larrea, Bulnesia, and Plectocarpa. Also cactus scrub in the north.
NT 803. Humid Pampas. Found in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Entre Rios, and Santa Fe provinces of Argentina. Grasslands with some Prosopis.
NT 805. Patagonian steppe. Found in Mendoza, Neuquen, and Rio Negro provinces of Argentina. Shrubs of Acantholippia, Benthamiella; cushion plants.
NT 806. Semi-arid Pampas. Found in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, La Pampa, Mendoza, Rio Negro, and San Luis provinces of Argentina. Steppe grasses with marshes.

Flooded Grasslands and Savannas
NT 908, Parana flooded savanna. Found in Buenos Aires, Entre Rios, and Santa Fe provinces of Argentina. A mosaic of wetlands and savanna with trees such as Salix, Tessaria, Victoria.
NT 909, Southern Cone Mesopotamian savanna. Found in Entre Rios province of Argentina. A mosaic of palm savanna, wetlands, and subtropical forests.

Montane Grasslands and Shrublands
NT 1008, Southern Andean steppe. Found in the Coquimbo and Santiago regions of Chile; Mendoza and San Juan provinces of Argentina. Shrubs and cushion plants.


UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Ischigualasto Provincial Park and Talampaya National Park. Ischigualasto, located in San Juan province, NT 802, and the adjoining Talampaya, located in La Rioja province, NT 706 and 802, contain gray-green rocks, petrified trees 130 feet tall, and petroglyphs. The oldest known dinosaur remains and a complete series of sediments for the Triassic Period cause Ischigualasto to be ranked first in the world in the quality, number, and importance of Triassic fossils, according to the University of California, Berkeley.

Jesuit Block and Estancias of Cordoba. The city’s colonial heritage from the 17th and 18th centuries is exceptionally preserved and ranked as a World Heritage Site. Located in Cordoba Province, NT 706.

Other points of interest
Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas at 22, 835 feet elevation. Located in Mendoza province on the Chilean border, NT 1008.
Estancia Los Alamos is a European-style hotel and dude ranch with vineyards and canyonlands in the Andean foothills. Located in Mendoza Province, NT 1008 and 805.
Lihue Calel National Park is located on a small mountain range in the semi-arid Pampas (NT 806)
Predelta National Park is in the Parana delta east of Rosario, Entre Rios Province. NT 908.
Sierra las Quijadas National Park contains red sandstone ravines and fossil pterosaurs. Located in San Luis Province, NT 701 and 802.
Quebrada de Condorito National Park includes an 800-meter deep canyon and condor nesting sites. Located in Cordoba Province, NT 706.


References
Emma Beare, ed. 2006. 501 Must-Visit Natural Wonders. Bounty Books.

Moon Handbook. www.moon.com/planner/argentina/ar-overview.

National Geographic Society and World Wildlife Fund, WildWorld map. www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld

Schultz, Patricia. 2003. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Workman Publishing.

University of California, Berkeley. www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mesozoic/triassic.

Map of the Month: Central Afghanistan Mountains

Map of the Month: Central Afghanistan Mountains
Map boundaries: 30 to 40 degrees North; 60 to 70 degrees East
Countries: Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan

Overview
The Central Afghanistan Mountains are a temperate desert and dryland region with high elevation alpine meadows and forests. The northeastern portion of the map in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan is grassland and savannah; southeastern portions grade into tropical steppe in Balochistan. Mountains rise from the deserts throughout the region, including the Pamirs in the northeast, Hindu Kush in the central area, Kopet Dag in the west, and Sulaimen in the southeast. Many of the rivers that rise in the Central Afghan Mountains, also known as the Hindu Kush, flow into deserts and dry up. This includes the Amu River, the largest river in the area; the Hairi or Tejen, which arises in Afghanistan and disappears into the Karakum (Garagum) Desert in Turkmenistan; the Morghab River, which arises in Afghanistan and flows past Mary in Turkmenistan before drying up; the Farah River and Helmand River, both of which empty into swamps on the Iran-Afghanistan border. One exception is the Kabul River, which flows east from the city of Kabul into the Indus River in Pakistan.

World Wildlife Fund Ecoregions and Provinces/Political Subdivisions

Temperate Coniferous Forests
PA506, East Afghan montane conifer forests. Pine, fir, oak, juniper. Found in Afghanistan--Nangarhar, Paktia, Paktika; and Pakistan-Balochistan.
PA507, Elburz Range forest steppe. Juniper forest, pistachio. Found in Iran-Razavi Khorasan

Temperate Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands
PA 801, Alai-Western Tian Shan steppe. Tall grasses, juniper, pistachio, almond, maple. Found in Tajikistan-Sughd; Turkmenistan-Lebap; Uzbekistan—Jizzakh, Navoiy, Qashqadaryo, Samarkand, Sirdaryo.
PA808, Gissaro-Alai open woodlands. Pistachio, almond, walnut, apple, juniper, sagebrush. Found in Kyrgyzstan-Batken, Tajikistan-Karotegin (Region of Republican Subordination), Khation, Sughd; Uzbekistan-Jizzakh, Qashqadaryo, Samarkand, Sirdaryo, Surxondaryo

Montane Grasslands and Shrublands
PA1004, Ghorat-Hazarajat alpine meadow. Meadows, willows, sea buckthorn. Found in
Afghanistan—Badghis, Baghlan, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Herat, Kabul, Logar, Oruzgan, Paktia, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Wardak, Zabul.
PA1005, Hindu Kush alpine meadow. Meadows and birch forests. Found in Afghanistan—Baghlan, Kapisa, Laghman, Nuristan, Panjshir, Takhar.
PA1008, Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe. Mediterranean xeric woodlands, maple and hawthorn. Found in Iran-Razavi Khorasan; Turkmenistan-Ahal, Mary.
PA1009, Kuhrud-Kohbanan Mountains forest steppe. Pistachio and almond forest on dry steppe. Found in Iran—Razavi Khorasan, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan.
PA1014, Pamir alpine desert and tundra. Steppe with cushion plants, similar to Tibet but rougher and lower. Found in Tajikistan—Karotegin (Region of Republican Subordination), Sughd; Uzbekistan—Surxondaryo.
PA1018, Sulaiman Range alpine meadows. Pine, juniper, steppe, western Himalayan evergreen forests, Fagaceae, and alpine steppe. Found in Afghanistan—Kandahar, Nangarhar; Pakistan—Balochistan, Kurram, North Waziristan.

Deserts and Xeric Shrublands
PA1301, Afghan Mountains semi-desert. Thorny bushes, zizyphus, acacia,Amygdatus. Found in Afghanistan--Badghis, Baghlan, Bamyan, Ghor, Herat.
PA1306, Badkhiz-Karabil semi-desert. Savannah of pistachio, desert sedge. Found in Afghanistan-Badghis, Balkh, Faryab, Herat, Jowzjan, Kunduz, Samangan, Sar-e Pol; Iran—Razavi Khorasan; Tajikistan—Khation; Turkmenistan—Ahal, Lebap, Mary; Uzbekistan—Surxondaryo.
PA1307, Baluchistan xeric woodlands. Pistachio, almond, sage, juniper and other tropical steppe flora. Found in Afghanistan—Kabul, Kapisa, Khost, Nangarhar, Paktia, Paktika, Parwan; Pakistan—Balochistan, Dera Ismail Khan Frontier Region, Kurram, North Waziristan, Punjab, South Waziristan.
PA1309, Central Afghan Mountains xeric woodlands. Dry shrubland, pistachio. Found in Afghanistan—Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Laghman, Logar, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Panjshir, Parwan, Wardak, Zabul; Pakistan—Balochistan.
PA1311, Central Asian riparian woodlands. Poplar, willow, tamarisk, lianas, meadows, wetlands. Found in Turkmenistan—Lebap; Uzbekistan—Bukhara.
PA1312, Central Asian southern desert. Saksaul trees, acacias, Salsola, shrub bindweed. Found in Turkmenistan—Ahal, Lebap, Mary; Uzbekistan—Bukhara, Navoiy, Qashqadaryo, Samarqand.
PA1313, Central Persian desert basins. Grass, sagebrush, chenopods. Found in Afghanistan—Farah, Herat; Iran—Razavi Khorasan, South Khorasan.
PA1322, Paropamisus xeric woodlands. Almond, pistachio, willows, sea buckthorn. Found in Afghanistan--Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Faryab, Ghor, Herat, Jowzjan, Kunduz, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar.
PA1326, Registan-North Pakistan sandy desert. Shrubs, sedges, grasses. Found in Afghanistan—Farah, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Zabul; Iran—Sistan and Baluchestan, South Khorasan.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, Ghor, Afghanistan. This giant decorated tower, built in the 12th century, stands beside the Hari Rud River, ecoregion PA1301.
Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley, Bamyan, Afghanistan. From the first to 13th century, this was ancient Baktria. The area contains Buddhist monastic sanctuaries, as well as fortified edifices from the Islamic period. The two standing Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. ecoregion PA1301.
Historic Center of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia. The tomb of Ismail Samani is a masterpiece of 10th Century Muslim architecture. Much of the city’s appearance dates to the 16th century. Ecoregion PA1312.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan. For 2000 years, this was an important stop on the Silk Road. Samarkand’s Registan is one of the grandest public squares in the world, and its complex of mausoleums dating from the 14th and 15th centuries is visually stunning (Schultz, 2003). Samarkand was founded in the 7th century BC, with its most significant development in the 14th to 15th century. Ecoregion PA 801.
Historic Center of Shakhrisyabz, Uzbekistan. Birthplace of the famous conqueror Timur the Lame and home of the Timurids Empire, 15th and 16th century. Ecoregion PA801
Ancient Merv (Mary), Turkmenistan. Best preserved oasis city on ancient Silk Route. Ecoregion PA1312.

Other points of interest:
Balkh, Afghanistan, formerly Bactra, the capital of ancient Bactria, is found in Balkh Province, north Afghanistan. It contains Buddhist and Islamic ruins. Ecoregion PA1306.
Band-e Amir, Afghanistan, is a series of six lakes 75 miles west of Bamiyan, Ecoregion PA1004.
Karakum Canal, Turkmenistan, flows 1,000 miles across Turkmenistan, from the Amu River to the Caspian Sea, is the world’s longest irrigation and shipping canal. It crosses the world’s largest sand desert, the Karakum. Ecoregion PA1312.
Khojak Pass, Pakistan, contains a 2.4-mile long railroad tunnel northwest of Quetta in Balochistan. Ecoregion 1018.
Rogun Dam, Tajikistan, is an unfinished dam that was originally slated to be the world’s tallest at 1,100 feet. PA808.

References:
501 Must-Visit Destinations. Bounty Books, 2006.
Bonneville, Patrick and Hemono, Philippe. 2006. The World Heritage. Bonneville Connection, Quebec.
National Geographic Society and World Wildlife Fund, WildWorld map. www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld
Schultz, Patricia. 2003. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Workman Publishing.

Thai cowboy country

A recent article (1) describes the Pensuk Great Western Resort in Thailand (pensuk.com). To get there, the route is described as "traveling across open scrubland punctuated by stark, serrated limestone cliffs and tablelands." The road was also lined with small beef and dairy farms, and there were pastures with cowboys herding calves. All of this was amid Bhuddist temples--"the only visible sign that this was the Far East, not the Wild West."
The resort is located in Nakhon Ratchasima province, also known as Khorat. The province is known for Khmer ruins and the Khao Yai National Park. Approximate coordinates are N 15 degrees and E 102 degrees. This area is part of the Central Indochina Dry Forests ecoregion (www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles). The characteristic forest association is an open deciduous dipterocarp forest. These forests are open and grade into savanna woodlands depending on the degree of disturbance. The grassy understory is dotted with cycads. This ecoregion covers a large area in northeastern and northern Thailand, and also extends into Cambodia. Mountain ranges in the south and west of the province are in the Southeastern Indochina dry evergreen forests ecoregion, which is dominated by different species of Dipterocarpaceae. This plant family contains the trees which dominate the lowland rain forests of southeast Asia.

(1) Thai Noon. Joshua Kurlantzick. The Atlantic 301 (5): 117-121 (June 2008).

Paint Brush Prairie Conservation Area

Public Lands
Name: Paint Brush Prairie Conservation Area
Where is it? Pettis County, Missouri
Owner: Missouri Department of Conservation
Facilities: three parking lots. Explore the prairie on your own.
On June 14, 2008, the most diverse wildflower assemblage was at the first parking lot on Manila Road. While a few Indian paint brush plants (Castilleja coccinea) were still in flower, other plants were putting on the bigger show. These included beard tongue (Penstemon spicata), prairie parsley (Polytaenia nuttallii), golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), yellow tickseeds (Coreopsis lanceolata and C. palmata), blue larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum), loosestrife (Lysimachia lanceolata), and sensitive brier (Mimosa quadrivalvis). A stop along the road in the prairie yielded New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus). The last parking stop in the prairie included a wetland habitat.

Yedoma

Yedoma
What is it? Loess and loess-related deposits which have a particularly high ice content and a large volume of organic carbon.
Where is it found? Lena River and Kolyma River drainages of Sakha Republic, Russia, mostly north of 55 degrees.
What are the implications? This area is currently permafrost. When ice-frozen ground thaws, the loss of volume from melting ice creates depressions where water ponds. Methane emissions from these "thermokarst" lakes are a large source of methane during greenhouse warming. This may have contributed to the abrupt warming around 11,500 years ago.

Reference: Thermokarst Lakes as a Source of Atmospheric CH4 During the Last Deglaciation. K.M. Walter, M.E. Edwards, G. Grosse, S.A. Zimov, and F.S. Chapin III. Science 318:633-636 (26 October 2007).