- La Portada
Infobox_Protected_area | name = La Portada Natural Monument
iucn_category = III
caption = La Portada Natural Monument
locator_x =
locator_y =
location =Antofagasta Region ,Chile
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 23
lat_minutes = 30
lat_seconds = 23
lat_direction = S
long_degrees = 70
long_minutes = 25
long_seconds = 37
long_direction = W
area = 0.3127 km²
established =
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =Corporación Nacional Forestal La Portada (Spanish: "The Gateway") is a
natural arch on the coast ofChile , 18 km (11 miles) north ofAntofagasta . It is one of fifteen natural monuments included among theprotected areas of Chile .There is another similar but smaller structure in the
spa town ofPucatrihue ,Osorno Province .Description
The La Portada Natural Monument covers an area of 31.27
hectare s (77.27acre s), and its geomorphological features and remaining fossils stand out in the form of an arch.The arch of La Portada is 43 m (140 ft) high, 23 m (75 ft) wide, and 70 m (230 ft) long. It has a base of black
andesite stone, around which are arranged marinesedimentary rock s, a strata of yellowingsandstone , and layers of the remaining fossils of shells dating back 35 to 2 million years ago. All this was formed during a long process of marine erosion.The arch is surrounded by coastal cliffs that were also formed by marine erosion. They reach a maximum height of 52 m above sea level.
On
5 October 1990 , it was declared a natural monument under Supreme Decree #51 of the Ministry of Agriculture, published in the Diario Oficial.Since March 2003, this natural monument remains closed due to a landslide of an important part of its cliffs, which blocked access to its beach. For this reason, a remodeling of the access route and its surroundings is planned.
Fauna
The natural monument constitutes an observation site for
guano birds such asPeruvian Booby ("Sula variegata") andInca Tern s ("Larosterna inca"), as well asGuanay Cormorant s ("Phalacrocorax bougainvillii"),Kelp Gull s ("Larus dominicanus"),Grey Gull s ("Larus modestus"),Belcher's Gull s ("Larus Belcheri"), andpelican s.Occasionally one can also observe mammals such as the
South American Fur Seal ("Arctocephalus australis") or theCommon Dolphin ("Delphinus delphis").Access
La Portada is located 18 km (11 miles) north of Antofagasta, which can be accessed by Route 1 Antofagasta-Tocopilla, from which an access road diverges at kilometer 20.
The monument is found near the
Cerro Moreno International Airport andLa Chimba National Reserve .References
* This article was originally translated from the Spanish Wikipedia article, "Monumento Natural La Portada".
External links
* [http://www.conaf.cl/ Corporación Nacional Forestal] .
* [http://www.sernatur.cl/ Servicio Nacional de Turismo] .
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