Sechura Desert

Its extreme aridity is caused by the upwelling of cold coastal waters and subtropical atmospheric subsidence, but it is also subject to occasional flooding during El Niño years.

In 1998, runoff from flooding rivers caused the formation of a temporary lake some 145 km (90 mi) long filling the Bayóvar Depression.

In 1728, a tsunami generated from an earthquake swept inland, destroying the town of Sechura, then located closer to the water.

The numerous short rivers that cross the Sechura supported prehistoric indigenous human settlements for millennia.

The Sican Culture (circa 800–1300 CE) succeeded the Moche, and developed refined techniques of lost wax goldsmithing.