More than 2 miles above sea level, near the crest of the Andes, is an anomaly of the natural world, a salt flat bigger than many countries. The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is the largest salt flat in the world at about 4,000 square miles. The salt flat is the remains of an ancient lake that evaporated long ago leaving behind a thick mineral crust that is both a source of edible salt and a critical breeding ground for, of all things, flamingos. But for a battery-hungry world, the greatest riches might lie below the crust—a vast brine rich in lithium.
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Welcome to Scotland s garden
-
A different view of sharks
-
A misty morning in Brazil
-
Make way for robots
-
Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
-
Rethymno, Crete, Greece
-
In Sicily, history is everywhere
-
High above the reef
-
A learning garden
-
The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
-
Father s Day
-
Shadows on the solstice
-
Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
-
Pasadena Chalk Festival supports local arts education
-
In celebration of America’s national bird
-
Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
-
Class, please take out a No. 2 pencil…
-
A storied trail marks a century
-
World Penguin Day
-
International Polar Bear Day
-
The artists come to Venice
-
Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
-
Christmas Tree Point Road and Twin Peaks, San Francisco
-
Seville celebrates first world tour
-
The cycle begins anew
-
National Park Week: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
-
Fall Astronomy Week
-
Arrr, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day
-
Blue linckia sea stars in Papua New Guinea
-
Papa was a flightless bird