Puquio de Núñez is a small
oasis and
orchard in the
Atacama Desert of Chile. The oasis is irrigated by an underground canal, a
puquio tapping
Pampa del Tamarugal Aquifer.[1] Puqui de Núñez lies about 10 kilometers south of the nearby oases of
Matilla and
Pica. As the puquios of Pica and Matilla tap the
Pica Aquifer,[2] it is thought that the hydraulic divide between the aquifers of Pampa del Tamarugal and Pica should be between Puquio de Núñez and Matilla.[1]
Located 1,187 meters
above sea level (m asl.) the water at Puquio de Núñez is estimated to come from a
recharge zone at ~3,000 m asl.[1]