The formation and ecological role of salt flats around the world

Evaporation creates a smooth, reflective salt crust, as seen in Salar de Uyuni, used by satellites for precise calibration.

Human activities like mining and water diversion disrupt salt flat ecosystems, affecting hydrology and extremophile communities.

The Etosha Pan, a seasonal salt flat, becomes a wetland during rains, attracting flamingos, pelicans, and other species.

Salt flats preserve paleoclimatic records in their sediment layers, helping scientists study past climate conditions and environmental changes.

The Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA, formed from the evaporation of ancient Lake Bonneville, leaving a vast, flat salt crust.

Lithium, critical for batteries, is extracted from salt flats like Salar de Uyuni, which holds about 50% of the world’s lithium reserves.

Salt flats host extremophiles, like halophilic bacteria and algae, which thrive in high-salinity conditions, forming the base of unique food webs.

Salt flats are commonly found in arid desert regions where high evaporation rates and low precipitation concentrate salts in enclosed basins.

The Salar de Uyuni, covering over 10,000 square kilometers, formed from the evaporation of Lake Minchin about 40,000 years ago.

Salt flats form through evaporation of saline water in endorheic basins, where water collects but has no outlet, leaving behind salt deposits.