Chile's Atacama desert has turned into a mauve-colored carpet of flowers following a rain storm that has turned the normally arid region into a montage of shades of purple.

The phenomenon takes place every five to seven years, but this is the most spectacular blossoming the region has seen in nearly two decades.

The rains are the heaviest to hit Chile's northern desert region in 20 years, transforming the Atacama desert 750 kilometers north of the capital, Santiago, into a carpet of exotic flowers.

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