Tierra del Fuego, the Land of Fire

CHILE | Sunday, 2 November 2014 | Views [1021] | View Smaller Image

Tierra del Fuego bears the scars of natural gas and petroleum exploration. Chile has always been nervous about its reliance on neighbouring countries, particularly Argentina, for it's non-renewable energy resources. From the 1940's Tierra del Fuego accounted for the vast majority of Chile's fossil fuel production and was considered particularly important at the time as renewable energy sources, which have now become a significant and sustainable source of Chile's energy, were far less developed. From the regions economic heyday in the mid to late twentieth century the countries focus on renewable energy and less productive reserves have reduced the physical presence of this part of the regions past. However its legacy is still very visible, as you can see from this image of one of the many remaining on-shore oil wells.

Tags: oil, gas, petroleum, tierra del fuego, oil well, chile, land of fire, mining, natural gas, fossil fuel

Just across Magellan's Strait lies the Pali Aike volcanic area, a reminder of the impressive natural forces which have shaped the local landscape. While millenia of erosion has left only remnants of volcanic activity behind in this particular site, with the Andes mountains nearby it's a poignant reminder of how small incremental changes, as simple as erosion from rain can, over timescales of such length to be unrecognisable to humans, reduce thousands of metres of mountains to the landscapes seen in this image.

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The once thriving oil town of Cerro Sombrero now almost appears post-apocalyptic to modern day visitors. It was an artificial town designed to house the huge numbers of miners and their families that were once required to maintain the thriving fossil fuel industry in the area but in recent years its population and funding have dropped in proportion to the regions production. This church is one of the few buildings that is still used and maintained; around it lie huge gymnasiums, theatres, swimming pools and community centres that have since fallen into various states of disrepair. It stands as a physical reminder of Chile's new shift towards renewable energies as the cure for its soaring energy requirements and desire for energy independence. Incidentally, the people of Chile are becoming more and more engaged in the countries energy direction and legislation. Chile's primary source of renewable energy, hydroelectric, has come under the spotlight due to its environmental impacts and an increasing awareness of the fact that the vast majority of energy in the country is used to power its Northern copper mines rather than for the energy requirements of its citizens.

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Tierra del Fuego, the Land of Fire

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