Long before the Andes mountains were formed along the spine of South America, what is now called the Valley of the Moon in Argentina's northwest San Juan province was a vast depression of ancient sediments of the Triassic geological period. This era lasted some 45 million years before the beginning of the Mesozoic era, and supported flora and fauna--and dinosaurs.
The climate then was wet and tropical. Now it is desert like and sere, with fantastic rock formations caused by time and erosion marking the landscape and prompting geologists, paleontologists and visitors to marvel at the history and landscape of what is now, together with Talampaya National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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