Salt pan (geology): Difference between revisions

A salt pan forms by evaporation of a [[water]] pool, such as a [[lake]] or [[pond]]. This happens in climates where the rate of water [[evaporation]] exceeds the rate of {{nowrap|[[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]]{{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 [[Solution (chemistry)|dissolved]] in the water. Over thousands of [[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 (through radiation) and often appear as white areas.

The [[Salar de Uyuni]] in [[Bolivia]] is the largest salt pan in the world. ItAs containsof 50%2024, with an estimated 23 million [[tonne|ton]]s, Bolivia holds toabout 7022% of the world's known lithium reservesresources (105 million tons); most of those are in the Salar de Uyuni.<ref>{{cite webnews |url=https://foreignpolicypubs.comusgs.gov/articlesperiodicals/2009mcs2024/10/21/bolivias_lithium_powered_future mcs2024-lithium.pdf
|title=Bolivia's Lithium-Powered Future: What the global batteryStatistics boom means for the future of South America's poorest country. |first=Joshua |last=Keatingand Information|publisher=[[Foreign PolicyUSGS]]}} |date=2009([https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-10minerals-21}}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]]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]] (India) are [[salt marsh]] in summerthe wet season and salt pan in winterthe 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]] | work=CNN Travel | date=9 July 2018 | access-date=5 October 2020 | last=Springer | first=K.}}</ref>

|bibcode = 1985Sedim..32..627L | author2-link = Lawrence_Alexander_HardieLawrence Alexander Hardie