page_title: Salar de Uyuni
section_title: Formation, geology, and climate
hierarchical_section_title: Salar de Uyuni / Formation, geology, and climate
caption_attribution_description: Español: Montañas y sus reflejos rodeando el salar de Uyuni durante el amanecer, Provincia de Daniel Campos, Departamento de Potosí, suroeste de Bolivia, no lejos de la cordillera de los Andes. Este salar es, con una superficie de 10,582 km2, el mayor del mundo, y ofrece durante la época de lluvia (diciembre-febrero) espectaculares reflejos en el agua. English: Mountains and reflections surrounding the Uyuni salt flat during sunrise, Daniel Campos Province, Potosí Department, southwestern Bolivia, not far from the crest of the Andes. This salt flat is, with a surface of 10,582 square kilometers (4,086&#160;sq&#160;mi), the world's largest, and during the rain saison (December-February) offers spectacular reflexions. Polski: Widok o&#160;wschodzie słońca na&#160;góry (oraz ich odbicia) otaczające solnisko Uyuni (hiszp. salar de&#160;Uyuni) położone w&#160;prowincji Daniel Campos w&#160;departamencie Potosí, w&#160;południowo-zachodniej Boliwii, niedaleko Andów. Solnisko ma powierzchnię 10.582&#160;km² i&#160;jest największym solniskiem na&#160;świecie. Podczas pory deszczowej (grudzień – luty) można tutaj oglądać spektakularne odbicia gór w&#160;wodzie. Português: Montanhas e seus reflexos em torno do salar de Uyuni durante o amanhecer, província de Daniel Campos, departamento de Potosí, sudoeste da Bolívia, não muito longe da cordilheira dos Andes. Este deserto de sal é, com uma superfície de 10,582 km2, o maior do mundo, e oferece durante a estação chuvosa (dezembro a fevereiro) reflexos na água espetaculares. Čeština: Hory obklopující solnou pláň Salar de Uyuni za východu slunce, Potosí Department, jihozápadní Bolívie. Jde o největší solnou pláň na světě s plochou 10&#160;582 km2, v období dešťů (leden - únor) nabízí mimořádné zrcadlové pohledy okolní krajiny. Magyar: A Salar de Uyuni sómező Bolíviában Italiano: I monti che circondano la salina di Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Con una superficie di 10&#160;582 kmq è la più grande salina del mondo. Македонски: Планините околу во Ујунската Солница на изгрејсонце. Покраина Даниел Кампос во департманот Потоси, југозападна Боливија, недалеку од Андите. Ова е најголемата солница во светот. Nederlands: Bergen, die worden gereflecteerd in de Boliviaanse zoutvlakte Salar de Uyuni tijdens zonsopkomst.
context_page_description: Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, or playa, at over 10,000 square kilometres in area. It is in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes at an elevation of 3,656 meters above sea level.
  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 elevation 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 known lithium reserves according to a 2009 Foreign Policy article by Joshua Keating. 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 kilometers across.
  The Salar serves as the major transport route across the Bolivian Altiplano and is a prime breeding ground for several species of flamingos.
context_section_description: Salar de Uyuni is part of the Altiplano of Bolivia in South America. The Altiplano is a high plateau, which was formed during uplift of the Andes mountains. The plateau includes fresh and saltwater lakes as well as salt flats and is surrounded by mountains with no drainage outlets.
  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 by radiocarbon dating shells from outcropping sediments and carbonate reefs and varies between reported studies. Lake Minchin (named after Juan B. Minchin of Oruro) later transformed into Paleo Lake 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 and Uru Uru, and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Salar de Uyuni. Salar de Uyuni spreads over 10,582 km², 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.
  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, which are 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.
  The area has a relatively stable average temperature with a peak at 21 °C in November to January and a low of 13 °C in June. The nights are cold all through the year, with temperatures between −9 °C and 5 °C. The relative humidity is rather low and constant throughout the year at 30% to 45%. The rainfall is also low at 1 mm to 3 mm per month between April and November, but it may increase up to 80 mm in January. However, except for January, even in the rainy season the number of rainy days is fewer than 5 per month.
caption: Mountains surrounding the Uyuni salt flat during sunrise, Daniel Campos Province, Potosí Department, southwestern Bolivia, not far from the crest of the Andes.
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