May 22, 2011 at 5:00 pm

Picture of the Day: The Salt Mounds of Bolivia

by twistedsifter

picture of the day Picture of the Day: The Salt Mounds of Bolivia

 

THE SALT MOUNDS OF BOLIVIA

 

salt mounds in salar de uyuni bolivia Picture of the Day: The Salt Mounds of Bolivia
Photograph by LUCA GALUZZI

 

This is a lovely shot of the salt mounds in Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. The Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest (12 000 km²) and highest (3,700 m) salt flat, ca. 25 times as large as the Bonneville Salt Flats. It’s the remnant of a prehistoric lake surrounded by mountains without drainage outlets. Salt is harvested in the traditional method: the salt is scraped into small mounds for water evaporation and easier transportation, dried over fire, and finally enriched with iodine.

 

via Wikimedia Commons