Salar de Uyuni
Location of Salar de Uyuni
Salar de Uyuni viewed from space, with Salar de
Coipasa in the top left corner
Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa ) [citation
needed ] is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582
square kilometers (4,086 sq mi). It is located in
the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in
southwest Bolivia , near the crest of the Andes
and is at an elevation of 3,656 meters (11,995 ft)
above mean sea level. [1]
The Salar was formed as a result of
transformations between several prehistoric
lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust,
which has an extraordinary flatness with the
average altitude variations within 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 . It contains
50 to 70% of the world's lithium reserves, [2]
which is in the process of being extracted. The
large area, clear skies, and the exceptional
flatness of the surface make the Salar an ideal
object for calibrating the altimeters of Earth
observation satellites. [3][4][5][6][7]
The Salar serves as the major transport route
across the Bolivian Altiplano and is a major
breeding ground for several species of pink
flamingos. Salar de Uyuni is also a climatological
transitional zone since the towering tropical
cumulus congestus and cumulus incus clouds
that form in the eastern part of the salt flat
during the summer cannot permeate beyond its
drier western edges, near the Chilean border and
the Atacama Desert.
Formation, geology and climate
The salar is composed of a salt surface crustoverlying brine saturated sediments.Salar de Uyuni is part of the Altiplano of Boliviain South America. The Altiplano is a high plateau,which was formed during uplift of the Andesmountains. The plateau includes fresh andsaltwater lakes as well as salt flats and issurrounded by mountains with no drainageoutlets. [8]
The geological history of the Salar is associated
with a sequential transformation between several
vast lakes. Some 30,000 to 42,000 years ago, the
area was part of a giant prehistoric lake, Lake
Minchin . Its age was estimated from radiocarbon
dating of shells from outcropping sediments and
carbonate reefs and varies between reported
studies. Lake Minchin (named after Juan B.
Minchin of Oruro [9] ) later transformed into
paleolake Tauca having a maximal depth of 140
meters (460 ft), and an estimated age of 13,000
to 18,000 or 14,900 to 26,100 years, depending
on the source. The youngest prehistoric lake was
Coipasa, which was radiocarbon dated to 11,500
to 13,400 years ago. When it dried, it left behind
two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake,
and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and
the larger Salar de Uyuni. Salar de Uyuni spreads
over 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 sq mi),
which is roughly 100 times the size of the
Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States. Lake
Poopó is a neighbor of the much larger Lake
Titicaca . During the wet season, Titicaca
overflows and discharges into Poopó, which, in
turn, floods Salar De Coipasa and Salar de Uyuni.
[10]
Lacustrine mud that is interbedded with salt and
saturated with brine underlies the surface of
Salar de Uyuni. The brine is a saturated solution
of sodium chloride, lithium chloride and
magnesium chloride in water. It is covered with a
solid salt crust varying in thickness between tens
of centimeters and a few meters. The center of
the Salar contains a few "islands", the remains
of the tops of ancient volcanoes submerged
during the era of Lake Minchin. They include
unusual and fragile coral-like structures and
deposits that often consist of fossils and algae.
[11]
The area has a relatively stable average
temperature with a peak at 21 °C (70 °F) in
November to January and a low of 13 °C (55 °F)
in June. The nights are cold all through the year,
with temperatures between −9 and 5 °C (16 and
41 °F). The relative humidity is rather low and
constant throughout the year at 30 to 45%. The
rainfall is also low at 1 to 3 millimeters (0.039 to
0.118 in) per month between April and
November, but it may increase up to 70
millimeters (2.8 in) in January. However, except
for January, even in the rainy season the number
of rainy days is fewer than 5 per month. [7]
Incahuasi "island" in the center of the Salar
Economic influence
Salt production at the Salar
The Salar contains large amounts of sodium ,
potassium , lithium and magnesium (all in the
chloride forms of NaCl, KCl , LiCl and MgCl 2,
respectively), as well as borax . [11] Of those,
lithium is arguably most important as it is a vital
component of many electric batteries. With
estimated 9,000,000 tonnes (8,900,000 long tons;
9,900,000 short tons), Bolivia holds about 43% of
the world's lithium reserves; [12] most of those
are located in the Salar de Uyuni.
Lithium is concentrated in the brine under the
salt crust at a relatively high concentration of
about 0.3%. It is also present in the top layers of
the porous halite body lying under the brine;
however the liquid brine is easier to extract, by
boring into the crust and pumping out the brine.
[13] The brine distribution has been monitored by
the Landsat satellite and confirmed in ground
drilling tests. Following those findings, an
American-based international corporation has
invested $137 million to develop lithium
extraction. [14] However, lithium extraction in the
1980s and 1990s by foreign companies met
strong opposition of the local community. Locals
believed that the money infused by mining would
not reach them.
There is currently no mining plant at the site,
and the Bolivian government does not want to
allow exploitation by foreign corporations.
Instead, it intends to build its own pilot plant
with a modest annual production of 1,200 tonnes
(1,200 long tons; 1,300 short tons) of lithium and
to increase it to 30,000 tonnes (30,000 long
tons; 33,000 short tons) by 2012. [15]
Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion
tonnes (9.8 billion LT; 11 billion ST) of salt , of
which less than 25,000 tonnes (25,000 long tons;
28,000 short tons) is extracted annually. All
miners working in the Salar belong to Colchani's
cooperative.
Because of its location, large area and flatness,
the Salar is a major car transport route across
the Bolivian Altiplano , [8] except when seasonally
covered with water.
Name
Salar is salt flat in Spanish. Uyuni originates from
the Aymara language and means a pen
(enclosure) ; Uyuni is also the name of a town
that serves as a gateway for tourists visiting the
Salar. Thus Salar de Uyuni can be loosely
translated as a salt flat with enclosures, the
latter possibly referring to the "islands" of the
Salar; or as "salt flat at Uyuni (the town named
'pen for animals')".
Aymara legend tells that the mountains Tunupa,
Kusku and Kusina, which surround the Salar,
were giant people. Tunupa married Kusku, but
Kusku ran away from her with Kusina. Grieving
Tunupa started to cry while breast-feeding her
son. Her tears mixed with milk and formed the
Salar. Many locals consider the Tunupa an
important deity and say that the place should be
called Salar de Tunupa rather than Salar de
Uyuni.
Location of Salar de Uyuni
Salar de Uyuni viewed from space, with Salar de
Coipasa in the top left corner
Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa ) [citation
needed ] is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582
square kilometers (4,086 sq mi). It is located in
the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in
southwest Bolivia , near the crest of the Andes
and is at an elevation of 3,656 meters (11,995 ft)
above mean sea level. [1]
The Salar was formed as a result of
transformations between several prehistoric
lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust,
which has an extraordinary flatness with the
average altitude variations within 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 . It contains
50 to 70% of the world's lithium reserves, [2]
which is in the process of being extracted. The
large area, clear skies, and the exceptional
flatness of the surface make the Salar an ideal
object for calibrating the altimeters of Earth
observation satellites. [3][4][5][6][7]
The Salar serves as the major transport route
across the Bolivian Altiplano and is a major
breeding ground for several species of pink
flamingos. Salar de Uyuni is also a climatological
transitional zone since the towering tropical
cumulus congestus and cumulus incus clouds
that form in the eastern part of the salt flat
during the summer cannot permeate beyond its
drier western edges, near the Chilean border and
the Atacama Desert.
Formation, geology and climate
The salar is composed of a salt surface crustoverlying brine saturated sediments.Salar de Uyuni is part of the Altiplano of Boliviain South America. The Altiplano is a high plateau,which was formed during uplift of the Andesmountains. The plateau includes fresh andsaltwater lakes as well as salt flats and issurrounded by mountains with no drainageoutlets. [8]
The geological history of the Salar is associated
with a sequential transformation between several
vast lakes. Some 30,000 to 42,000 years ago, the
area was part of a giant prehistoric lake, Lake
Minchin . Its age was estimated from radiocarbon
dating of shells from outcropping sediments and
carbonate reefs and varies between reported
studies. Lake Minchin (named after Juan B.
Minchin of Oruro [9] ) later transformed into
paleolake Tauca having a maximal depth of 140
meters (460 ft), and an estimated age of 13,000
to 18,000 or 14,900 to 26,100 years, depending
on the source. The youngest prehistoric lake was
Coipasa, which was radiocarbon dated to 11,500
to 13,400 years ago. When it dried, it left behind
two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake,
and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and
the larger Salar de Uyuni. Salar de Uyuni spreads
over 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 sq mi),
which is roughly 100 times the size of the
Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States. Lake
Poopó is a neighbor of the much larger Lake
Titicaca . During the wet season, Titicaca
overflows and discharges into Poopó, which, in
turn, floods Salar De Coipasa and Salar de Uyuni.
[10]
Lacustrine mud that is interbedded with salt and
saturated with brine underlies the surface of
Salar de Uyuni. The brine is a saturated solution
of sodium chloride, lithium chloride and
magnesium chloride in water. It is covered with a
solid salt crust varying in thickness between tens
of centimeters and a few meters. The center of
the Salar contains a few "islands", the remains
of the tops of ancient volcanoes submerged
during the era of Lake Minchin. They include
unusual and fragile coral-like structures and
deposits that often consist of fossils and algae.
[11]
The area has a relatively stable average
temperature with a peak at 21 °C (70 °F) in
November to January and a low of 13 °C (55 °F)
in June. The nights are cold all through the year,
with temperatures between −9 and 5 °C (16 and
41 °F). The relative humidity is rather low and
constant throughout the year at 30 to 45%. The
rainfall is also low at 1 to 3 millimeters (0.039 to
0.118 in) per month between April and
November, but it may increase up to 70
millimeters (2.8 in) in January. However, except
for January, even in the rainy season the number
of rainy days is fewer than 5 per month. [7]
Incahuasi "island" in the center of the Salar
Economic influence
Salt production at the Salar
The Salar contains large amounts of sodium ,
potassium , lithium and magnesium (all in the
chloride forms of NaCl, KCl , LiCl and MgCl 2,
respectively), as well as borax . [11] Of those,
lithium is arguably most important as it is a vital
component of many electric batteries. With
estimated 9,000,000 tonnes (8,900,000 long tons;
9,900,000 short tons), Bolivia holds about 43% of
the world's lithium reserves; [12] most of those
are located in the Salar de Uyuni.
Lithium is concentrated in the brine under the
salt crust at a relatively high concentration of
about 0.3%. It is also present in the top layers of
the porous halite body lying under the brine;
however the liquid brine is easier to extract, by
boring into the crust and pumping out the brine.
[13] The brine distribution has been monitored by
the Landsat satellite and confirmed in ground
drilling tests. Following those findings, an
American-based international corporation has
invested $137 million to develop lithium
extraction. [14] However, lithium extraction in the
1980s and 1990s by foreign companies met
strong opposition of the local community. Locals
believed that the money infused by mining would
not reach them.
There is currently no mining plant at the site,
and the Bolivian government does not want to
allow exploitation by foreign corporations.
Instead, it intends to build its own pilot plant
with a modest annual production of 1,200 tonnes
(1,200 long tons; 1,300 short tons) of lithium and
to increase it to 30,000 tonnes (30,000 long
tons; 33,000 short tons) by 2012. [15]
Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion
tonnes (9.8 billion LT; 11 billion ST) of salt , of
which less than 25,000 tonnes (25,000 long tons;
28,000 short tons) is extracted annually. All
miners working in the Salar belong to Colchani's
cooperative.
Because of its location, large area and flatness,
the Salar is a major car transport route across
the Bolivian Altiplano , [8] except when seasonally
covered with water.
Name
Salar is salt flat in Spanish. Uyuni originates from
the Aymara language and means a pen
(enclosure) ; Uyuni is also the name of a town
that serves as a gateway for tourists visiting the
Salar. Thus Salar de Uyuni can be loosely
translated as a salt flat with enclosures, the
latter possibly referring to the "islands" of the
Salar; or as "salt flat at Uyuni (the town named
'pen for animals')".
Aymara legend tells that the mountains Tunupa,
Kusku and Kusina, which surround the Salar,
were giant people. Tunupa married Kusku, but
Kusku ran away from her with Kusina. Grieving
Tunupa started to cry while breast-feeding her
son. Her tears mixed with milk and formed the
Salar. Many locals consider the Tunupa an
important deity and say that the place should be
called Salar de Tunupa rather than Salar de
Uyuni.
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