Detail of the terrain in the ALMA area

Volcanic rocky terrain at the ALMA high site, on the 5000 m high Chajnantor plateau, in the Andes of the II Region of Chile. Above an altitude of 4800 m, the landscape is dominated by the high altitude desert, a very extreme environment, where very few forms of life can survive. Stones break because of the freezing temperatures, and cover the ground, as it can be seen in the picture. ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is currently under construction on the Chajnantor plateau, while the APEX telescope has operated there since 2005.