Agua Negra Pass

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]

Paso de Agua Negra
Signs marking the border between Argentina and Chile at the top of Paso de Agua Negra.
Elevation4,780 m (15,682 ft)
LocationArgentina–Chile border
RangeAndes
Coordinates30°11′32″S 69°49′06″W

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.

In 2018, the bidding contest for the tunnel project between construction companies took place. The whole project was budgeted at 1.5 billion dollars.[6]

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.

ANDES is not expected to be ready before 2027.[7]:6,8,13

  • Paso de Agua Negra, Argentine side
  • Paso de Agua Negra, Chilean side
  • Penitentes near the summit

See also

References
  1. "PASO INTERNACIONAL "SAN FRANCISCO"". gendarmeria.gob.ar. Gendarmeria Nacional Argentina. Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  2. "The ANDES laboratory: Proposed laboratory design". Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  3. Kenyon, Peter (December 2011). "Andes link a priority for Chile-Argentina-Brazil". TunnelTalk. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  4. "Agua Negra Tunnel". Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  5. "Argentina Approved Construction of Tunnel Agua Negra to Join Chile". Latin American Association of Ports and Terminals. March 23, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  6. http://www.worldhighways.com/categories/auctions-equipment-supply-servicing-finance/news/chile-argentina-agua-negra-tunnel-progress/
  7. Aldo, Ianni (27 July 2017). Status of Underground Labs. XV International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP2017). Sudbury, Canada. Retrieved 2017-10-14.


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