Salar de Atacama

Salar de Atacama

Salar de Atacama is the largest salt flat in Chile and the third largest in the world, spanning 1,200 square miles (3,000 sq. km). It is the world’s largest and purest active source of lithium, containing more than one-quarter of the world’s lithium reserves. In this Overview, lithium-rich waters sit in a series of evaporation ponds before being extracted as lithium carbonate — a key ingredient in specific industrial salts, chemicals, and batteries.

-23.500000°, -68.250000°

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