Authorities in the Argentine province of San Juan have closed Pampa del Leoncito (also known as Barreal Blanco, a vast white clay plain at the foot of the Andes that forms part of El Leoncito National Park) until the end of August, after a pickup truck drove across its surface despite a traffic ban, leaving ruts up to 25 centimetres deep. A physician from Mendoza province reportedly drove roughly 1.5 kilometres across the waterlogged plain before his vehicle became stuck; he abandoned it and left by motorcycle, and local officials estimate the deepest marks could take nearly a century to disappear. The incident has prompted calls to refer the case to criminal courts and to strengthen provincial legislation, as the fine currently on the books — up to 1.5 million pesos, around one thousand US dollars — is widely considered inadequate for damage to a site whose exceptional dark skies support two internationally significant astronomical observatories.