Salar de Atacama

Salar de Atacama, located 55 km (34 mi) south of <a href="/facts/San_Pedro_de_Atacama/lutymnSD">San Pedro de Atacama</a>, is the largest <a href="/facts/Salt_pan_(geology)/DWJK5h39">salt flat</a> in <a href="/facts/Chile/uEyTfEcx">Chile</a>. It is surrounded by mountains and lacks drainage outlets. To the east, it is enclosed by the main chain of the <a href="/facts/Andes/a4wlgG3e">Andes</a>, while to the west lies a secondary mountain range called <a href="/facts/Cordillera_de_Domeyko/lgeq3Snd">Cordillera de Domeyko</a>. The landscape is dominated by imposing volcanoes such as <a href="/facts/Licancabur/Heahn1DY">Licancabur</a>, <a href="/facts/Acamarachi/MlUcQCKM">Acamarachi</a>, <a href="/facts/Aguas_Calientes_(volcano)/VVS70dar">Aguas Calientes</a>, and <a href="/facts/L%25C3%25A1scar/cBc92JvG">Láscar</a>, the latter being one of Chile's most active volcanoes. These volcanoes are situated along the eastern side of the Salar de Atacama, forming a north–south trending line that separates it from smaller <a href="/facts/Endorheic_basin/0CHdGUlG">endorheic basins</a>.
In recent decades, Salar de Atacama has become a significant hub for <a href="/facts/Lithium/7vXX6BWA">lithium</a> extraction, as lithium is found in the <a href="/facts/Brine/xsN2GcLF">brines</a> of the salt flat.
The <a href="/facts/Atacama_people/kv0xX9N6">Likan Antay</a> people are the indigenous inhabitants of Salar de Atacama and its surrounding areas.

Salar de Atacama open-in-new

Salar de Atacama