Monturaqui-Negrillar-Tilopozo Aquifer

The Monturaqui-Negrillar-Tilopozo Aquifer is an aquifer in the commune of San Pedro de Atacama in inland Antofagasta Region, Chile. The aquifer lies in the Atacama Desert straddling Puna de Atacama plateau on the western side side of the Andes. The aquifer discharges naturally in Salar de Atacama allowing for the meadows of Tilopozo (Spanish: Vegas de Tilopozo) to exist at the southern fringes of the salt flat.

The aquifer lies in a 60 km long north-south trending depression runs south from Salar de Atacama filled with permeable volcanic rocks of the Salin Formation. The flow and composition of its waters are influenced by the El Negrillar volcanic field, which lies in the middle of the groundwater body and separates it into two halves.

The aquifer has for decades been tapped for water by mining companies. The copper mine of Escondida supplied itself with freshwater from 1998 to 2019 from a well field in the aquifer located 78 km east of the mine. This well field had an installed capacity to extract 1400 liters per second.


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