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| Solar De Uyuni |
Prehistoric lakes once covered Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni near
the crest of the Andes. When these lakes dried up over hundreds of thousands of
years, their rich salt content was left behind, and it became the thick salt
crust that coats the region today. The shallow pools of brine are also rich in
lithium – they contain 50 to 70 percent of the earth’s reserves.
During the rainy season, most of the enormous salt flat is
covered by shallow water, as rain has nowhere to drain. These few inches of water have a dazzling
effect on the landscape, transforming the plane into one endless mirror that
reflects the sun, sky, clouds, visitors and the indigenous pink flamingos that
heavily populate the area.
The region is 11,995 feet above sea level, making it an
optimal spot to monitor and calibrate satellites. The incredible clouds often
break to clear skies, with blue and white reflected below. Salar de Uyuni sees
a lot of traffic ranging from from tourists to companies coming to mine the
layers of salt, potassium, lithium and magnesium from the surface. It is also a
major car transport route during the dry seasons. Salar de Uyuni is a beautiful
natural mirror, but also an important source from salt and lithium, which is a
vital component in electric batteries.
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