The Salt flats (also termed "Salar de Uyuni"), located in Daniel Campos province, Bolivia, are a marvel to observe. Being the largest salt flat in the word, Salar de Uyuni stretches for 4,000 square miles. The Altiplano is a long stretch of plateau that runs between Peru, Bolivia, and Chile in the central Andes and was the location of lakes undergoing successive periods of high and low water levels due to dry and wet weather conditions in the area. These lakes had a high salinity (Salt content) and over time progressively evaporated, causing the water level of the lakes to drop. Based on current geologic evidence, the lake is thought to have gone through five different phases of water level drop, with the second last phase occurring 30,000 – 20,000 years ago (Lake Minchin) and the last phase occurring 13,000 – 10,000 years ago (Lake Tauca). Lake Tauca would have had the lowest water level and once it dried up it deposited a thick salt crust layer to form the salt flats. Based on bore holes that were dug into the ground from a research study in the area, the salt flats are estimated to be 11m thick and comprised of a porous halite with a brine rich in Lithium, potassium, magnesium, and boron.
Halite: sodium chloride rock type (naturally occurring salt)
Brine: Water with a high salt content
