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Patagonia: an ancient mystery waiting to be discovered

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By Reid Schram(Translation : Yuyu Chiang)

April 22, 2016
6:25 pm
Los Angeles, CA

Patagonia is a region located in southern South America, expanding through Argentina and Chile. Patagonia has become known for its stunning landscapes that have appeared in media worldwide, but that is not the only reason. It is also a region where many research and scientific expeditions take place. China has built a research base, placing an 35 meters high antenna, with which it will conduct space research. But everything is shrouded in mystery. The announcement that China will build a third interplanetary station, the first outside its territory, has sparked curiosity in the media. Some skeptics say the purpose of the site could be a military one and that they used some hidden clauses in the construction contract to finish the building. Also, a journalist of the newspaper “La

Patagonia is a region located in southern South America, expanding through Argentina and Chile.

Patagonia has become known for its stunning landscapes that have appeared in media worldwide, but that is not the only reason.

It is also a region where many research and scientific expeditions take place. China has built a research base, placing an 35 meters high antenna, with which it will conduct space research. But everything is shrouded in mystery.

The announcement that China will build a third interplanetary station, the first outside its territory, has sparked curiosity in the media. Some skeptics say the purpose of the site could be a military one and that they used some hidden clauses in the construction contract to finish the building. Also, a journalist of the newspaper “La Nacion”, writes that the base depends on the Chinese People’s Army.

Authorities in Argentina told BBC World that they deny the existence of such clauses, even though some analysts and journalists say that things are different. The Argentine Foreign Ministry have not issued any statements.

Background

It is believed that at some point Antarctica and South America were united, about 68 million years ago, when the age of the dinosaurs ended. At that time, the frozen continent was not covered with ice, but with forests.

The first fossilized leaves of Nothofagus were discovered in Patagonia in 2014. It was known that this plant is found exclusively on Antarctic territory and that the only way they can spread is on land. Thus, the scientists concluded that there was a land connection between the two continents, 85 million years ago.

In February this year, on the Argentine side of Patagonia, an ancient mystery was discovered: a deposit of fossils dating from the Jurassic Era, between 140 and 160 million years ago.

The research is just starting and according to the team of scientists, the presence of a wide range of micro and marcro-organisms may mean that they are on the brink of new discoveries.

Google Street View has announced plans to map the Argentine side of Patagonia. From the second half of the year, users can visit the region using Google’s interactive platform.

Patagonia offers a lot of beautiful experiences for those who choose to visit: on summer you can go canoeing and windsurging on the Nahuel Huapi lake waters, or you can go skiing from June to September.

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