It is noteworthy that this province is larger than
Austria,
Taiwan,
Ireland or
Greece, for example. There are only two major rivers in the province: the
Colorado ("Red River") on the border with the
Province of Río Negro, and the
Salado ("Salty River") crossing it. The Salado's level has been dropping, as its
tributaries in the
Province of Mendoza are diverted for
irrigation. The general aspect of the central-eastern part of the province is that of a plain gently tilted to the east that is dissected by valleys. Formerly functioning as windfunnels for sand While mostly flat, the province does also contains mountains like
Sierra de Lihuel Calel, where a variety of landforms can be observed; these include
inselbergs,
flared slopes,
domes,
nubbins,
tors,
tafonis, and
gnammas. Most of Sierra de Lihuel Calel is made up
ignimbrite, a volcanic rock type that was violently erupted by ancient volcanoes. In general, the province is dominated by two different types of climates: a temperate one in the east and a
semi-arid one in the west. Precipitation generally decreases from east to west and from north to south. During summer, the
South Atlantic High is displaced to the southeast, which brings hot and humid air masses from the north and northeast. The
South Pacific High in summer is responsible for bringing cooler air masses from the southwest which when these two contrasting air masses meet lead to precipitation occurring. In contrast, winters are dry due to the northward displacement of the South Atlantic high and the topographic barrier of the Andes north of 40oS which prevents frontal systems that bring precipitation from reaching the province. Any winds from the southwest during winter bring in cold and dry weather since most of the precipitation and humidity are released in the Andes. As such, most of the precipitation occurs during summer.
Temperature Mean annual temperatures in the province range between although the thermal amplitude (difference between temperatures in the warmest and coldest months) is large. In summer, mean temperatures in the warmest month (January) range from in the north and northeastern parts to in the west and southwestern parts of the province. Temperatures tend to be cooler in the west owing to the higher altitudes. In winter, mean temperatures in the coldest month (July) range from in the north to in the west and southwest. The northern parts are the warmest parts of the province; absolute maximum temperatures can reach up to . The lowest temperatures ever recorded range from in the northeast to in the southwest.
Precipitation One characteristic of the precipitation in the province is that most of the precipitation occurs from October to March with little precipitation during winter. Mean annual precipitation ranges from a low of in the southwest to in the northeast. Precipitation generally decreases from northeast to southwest. Most of the precipitation is caused by
frontal systems. Precipitation is highly variable from year to year. ==Economy==