Agua Negra Pass
| Paso de Agua Negra | |
|---|---|
|
Signs marking the border between Argentina and Chile at the top of Paso de Agua Negra. | |
| Elevation | 4,780 m (15,682 ft) |
| Location | Argentina–Chile border |
| Range | Andes |
| Coordinates | 30°11′32″S 69°49′06″W / 30.192222°S 69.818333°WCoordinates: 30°11′32″S 69°49′06″W / 30.192222°S 69.818333°W |
  | |
The Agua Negra Pass (Spanish: Paso de Agua Negra) is a pass over the Andes mountains which connects Argentina and Chile. The highest point of this pass is at 4,780 m (15,680 ft) AMSL.[1]
Agua Negra Tunnel
To improve trade between Chile and Argentina, a 14 km, three-bore vehicular tunnel (two for traffic and one for ventilation[2]) below the pass is planned, which will allow year-round traffic.[3][4] (The pass is closed for much of the winter.)
In March 2015, Argentina officially approved the project.[5] It is awaiting ratification from Chile.
Also planned for the deepest part of the tunnel is the Agua Negra Deep Experiment Site (ANDES):[2] an underground laboratory. Because all currently operating deep underground laboratories are located in the Northern Hemisphere, a Southern Hemisphere site would have some unique benefits:
- Combined with existing neutrino detectors, a longer baseline would allow more accurate localization of sources in neutrino astronomy, and
- When searching for dark matter, there is expected to be a seasonal variation due to the Earth's motion around the Sun. But such a signal could also be an error, caused by some subtle seasonal effect. Confirmation from a location with opposite seasons would rule out such an error.
Gallery
Paso de Agua Negra, Argentine side
Paso de Agua Negra, Chilean side
Penitentes near the summit
See also
Elqui Province, Chile
San Juan Province, Argentina
References
- ↑ "PASO INTERNACIONAL "SAN FRANCISCO"". gendarmeria.gob.ar. Gendarmeria Nacional Argentina. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- 1 2 "The ANDES laboratory: Proposed laboratory design". Retrieved 2015-04-25.
- ↑ Kenyon, Peter (December 2011). "Andes link a priority for Chile-Argentina-Brazil". TunnelTalk. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
- ↑ "Agua Negra Tunnel". Retrieved 2015-04-25.
- ↑ "Argentina Approved Construction of Tunnel Agua Negra to Join Chile". Latin American Association of Ports and Terminals. March 23, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-25.