The Licancabur Expedition is taking place between
October 27th and November 22nd, 2003. Check the Abbreviated Expedition Schedule for details.
The Licancabur volcano (6,014 m) located at the
boundary of Chile and
Bolivia hosts a lake that is amongst the highest
and the least explored lakes on Earth.
The lake environment combines low-oxygen, low
atmospheric pressure, and high-UV radiation.
Sediments are formed in volcanic material. It
is ice-covered most of the year but the bottom
water temperature remains above freezing. These
conditions make Licancabur a unique analog (comparison)
to ancient Martian lakes. Licancabur 2002 Expedition Highlights
The Licancabur project aims at exploring and
understanding this unique environment through
two high-altitude expeditions in 2002 and 2003
that will provide:
- Critical astrobiological information
about the limits of life on Earth
- Scientific clues about potential analogous
sites on Mars
- Elements to design science mission strategies
for planetary exploration and search for life
in the Solar System.
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