nature & planetWikivoyage
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the world's largest salt flat and becomes a mirror after rain
Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat in the world, covering more than 10,000 square kilometres in southwest Bolivia on the high Andean plateau. It formed from the salt left behind as ancient lakes dried up, leaving a crust that is white and flat for vast distances. When rain covers the surface with a thin layer of water, the flat sheet reflects the sky so cleanly that it is hard to tell where the ground ends. The salt flat also holds some of the world's largest lithium reserves.
A salt flat is the crust left when water evaporates from a shallow basin and leaves dissolved minerals behind. When a thin, still layer of water covers the flat, it works like a mirror, reflecting the sky with almost no ripple. Once the water evaporates, the white salt surface returns.
It is a striking example of how a dried-up lake can become one of the most distinctive landscapes on Earth, and it is also central to the global search for lithium.
Salar de Uyuni holds a large share of the world's known lithium reserves.
background
Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat in the world, with an area of approximately 10,582 square kilometres (4,086 mi2). It is situated in southwestern Bolivia, within the Daniel Campos Province of the Potosí Department, near the crest of the Andes Mountains, at an elevation of 3,656 m (11,995 ft) above sea level.
The Salar was formed as a result of transformations of seven Late Pleistocene lakes whose progressive desiccation led to the accumulation of extensive evaporitic salt deposits. It is now covered by an 8-meter-thick layer of salt, which is extremely flat. The average elevation varies by less than one meter over the entire area of the Salar. The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. The large area, clear skies, and exceptional flatness of the surface make the Salar ideal for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation satellites. Following rain, a thin layer of dead calm water transforms the flat into the world's largest mirror, 129 km (80 miles) across.
From Wikipedia: Salar de Uyuni (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗ · text CC BY-SA 4.0see
key facts
- Country
- Bolivia
- Located in
- Oruro Department
- Area
- 10,582 km²
- Elevation
- 3,661 m
Facts: Wikidata (CC0)
Adapted from Wikivoyage, the free travel guide · CC BY-SA 4.0
Illustrative photo · Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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