# Salt flat

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{{short description|Flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals}}
{{About|the geological feature|the ghost town in Texas|Salt Flat|the tidal feature|Salt pannes and pools}}
[[File:20170809 Bolivia 1521 Uyuni sRGB (37926739616).jpg|thumb|The [Salar de Uyuni](/source/Salar_de_Uyuni), in [Bolivia](/source/Bolivia), the world's largest salt pan.]]
Natural '''salt flats''' or '''salt pans''' are flat, open expanses of ground covered with [salt](/source/salt) and other [mineral](/source/mineral)s, usually shining white under the [sun](/source/sun).  They are found in [desert](/source/desert)s and are natural formations (unlike [salt evaporation pond](/source/salt_evaporation_pond)s, which are artificial).

A salt flat forms by evaporation of a [water](/source/water) pool, such as a [lake](/source/lake) or [pond](/source/pond). This happens in climates where the rate of water [evaporation](/source/evaporation) exceeds the rate of {{nowrap|[precipitation](/source/precipitation_(meteorology)){{hsp}}{{mdash}}}}{{tsp}}that is, in a desert. If the water cannot drain into the ground, it remains on the surface until it evaporates, leaving behind minerals precipitated from the salt ions [dissolved](/source/Solution_(chemistry)) in the water. Over thousands of [year](/source/year)s, the minerals (usually salts) accumulate on the surface.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saltassociation.co.uk/education/physical-geography-salt-shaped-landscape/|title=Physical Geography {{!}} How Salt Shapes Our Lives|website=The Salt Association|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-26}}</ref> These minerals reflect the sun's rays and often appear as white areas.

Salt flats can be dangerous. The crust of salt can conceal a [quagmire](/source/quagmire) of [mud](/source/mud) that can engulf a truck. The [Qattara Depression](/source/Qattara_Depression) in the eastern [Sahara Desert](/source/Sahara_Desert) contains many such traps which served as strategic barriers during [World War II](/source/World_War_II).<ref>Jorgensen, C. (2003). ''Rommel's panzers: Rommel and the Panzer forces of the Blitzkrieg, 1940-1942'' (pp. 78–79). St. Paul, MN: MBI.</ref>

==Examples==
[[File:Saltph26.jpg|thumb|The [Bonneville Salt Flats](/source/Bonneville_Salt_Flats), [Utah](/source/Utah) ]]
The [Bonneville Salt Flats](/source/Bonneville_Salt_Flats) in [Utah](/source/Utah), where many [land speed record](/source/land_speed_record)s have been set, are a well-known salt pan in the arid regions of the [western United States](/source/western_United_States).

The [Etosha pan](/source/Etosha_pan), in the [Etosha National Park](/source/Etosha_National_Park) in [Namibia](/source/Namibia), is another prominent example of a salt pan.

The [Salar de Uyuni](/source/Salar_de_Uyuni) in [Bolivia](/source/Bolivia) is the largest salt pan in the world. As of 2024, with an estimated 23 million [ton](/source/tonne)s, Bolivia holds about 22% of the world's known lithium resources (105 million tons); most of those are in the Salar de Uyuni.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2024/mcs2024-lithium.pdf
|title=Lithium Statistics and Information|publisher=[USGS](/source/USGS)}} ([https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/lithium-statistics-and-information other Lithium statistics from USGS])</ref> The large area, clear skies, and exceptional flatness of the surface make the Salar an ideal object for calibrating the [altimeter](/source/altimeter)s of Earth observation satellites.<ref>{{cite news |bibcode=2002AGUFMOS52A0193B |title=GPS Survey of the salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, for Satellite Altimeter Calibration |last=Borsa |first=A. A |publisher=American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting |year=2002|display-authors=etal}}</ref><ref name=ieee>{{cite journal |last1=Lamparelli |first1=R. A. C. |title=Characterization of the Salar de Uyuni for in-orbit satellite calibration |journal=IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens. |volume=41 |issue=6 |pages=1461–1468 |year=2003 |doi=10.1109/TGRS.2003.810713 |display-authors=1 |last2=Ponzoni |first2=F.J. |last3=Zullo |first3=J. |last4=Queiroz Pellegrino |first4=G. |last5=Arnaud |first5=Y.|bibcode = 2003ITGRS..41.1461C |s2cid=18716304 }}</ref>

Parts of [Rann of Kutch](/source/Rann_of_Kutch) (India) are [salt marsh](/source/salt_marsh) in the wet season and salt pan in the dry season.<ref name="CNN2018">{{cite web | url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/india-rann-of-kutch/index.html | title=Rann of Kutch: Explore India's largest salt desert | publisher=[CNN](/source/CNN) | work=CNN Travel | date=9 July 2018 | access-date=5 October 2020 | last=Springer | first=K.}}</ref>

Salt flats can also be found in Kenya. A place called [Chalbi Desert](/source/Chalbi_Desert) in North Horr Sub County, Marsabit County in Kenya. In the language of the [Gabra people](/source/Gabra_people), "Chalbi" means "bare, salty area".<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Nyamweru |first=Celia |title=From Lake to Desert: The Chalbi Basin |journal=Kenya Past and Present |pages=32–36}}</ref>

==See also==
[[Image:Cono de Arita en el Salar de Arizaro.jpg|thumb|Cono de Arita in [Salar de Arizaro](/source/Salar_de_Arizaro), [Argentina](/source/Argentina)]]
* {{annotated link|Chott}}
* {{annotated link|Dry lake}}
* {{annotated link|Sabkha}}
* {{annotated link|Salt diapir}}
* [Salt evaporation pond](/source/Salt_evaporation_pond) – Artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines
* {{annotated link|Salt lake}}
* {{annotated link|Salt tectonics}}
* {{annotated link|Sink (geography)|Sink}}
* {{annotated link|Solonchak}}
* {{annotated link|Mudflat}}
* {{annotated link|Takir (soil)}} – Relief occurring in the deserts of Central Asia

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{commonscat|Salt flats}}
* {{cite journal
 | last = Briere
 | first = Peter R.
 |date=May 2002
 | title = Playa, playa lake, sabkha: Proposed definitions for old terms
 | journal = Journal of Arid Environments
 | volume = 45
 | issue = 1
 | pages = 1–7
 | publisher = Elsevier
 | doi = 10.1006/jare.2000.0633
 | bibcode = 2000JArEn..45....1B
 }}
* {{cite journal
 | last = Lowenstein
 | first =  Tim K.
 |author2= Lawrence A. Hardie
  |date=October 1985
 | title = Criteria for the recognition of salt-pan evaporites
 | journal = Sedimentation
 | volume = 32
 | issue = 5
 | pages = 627–644
 | doi = 10.1111/j.1365-3091.1985.tb00478.x
 |bibcode = 1985Sedim..32..627L | author2-link = Lawrence Alexander Hardie
 }}

{{authority control}}
Category:Salt flats

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Salt flat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_flat) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_flat?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.