Ecotourism at Atacama desert in Chile - geothermal feature - geyser is a spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam - generally, surface water works its way down to an average depth of around 2,000 metres ( 6,600 ft ) where it contacts hot rocks and the resultant boiling of the pressurized water results in the geyser effect of hot water and steam spraying out of the geyser's surface vent (a hydrothermal explosion ) - usually all geyser field sites are located near active volcanic areas, and the geyser effect is due to the proximity of magma. The Atacama Desert ( Spanish - Desierto de Atacama) is a plateau in South America, covering a 1,000-kilometre (600 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains and it is the driest non-polar desert in the world.