Salmueras Del Salar De Uyuni Deposit

Occurrence in Potosi, Bolivia with commodities Lithium, Potassium, Magnesite, Boron-Borates, Halite
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10005858
MRDS ID BL10021
Record type Site
Current site name Salmueras Del Salar De Uyuni Deposit
Alternate or previous names Salar Del Uyuni
Related records 10005846, 60000727

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -67.99949, -19.99759 (WGS84)
Elevation 3653
Relative position EASTERN EDGE IS 10 KM W OF UYUNI

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Potosi(province)

Bolivia(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Federal lands

Federal(land status)

Geographic areas

Country State
Bolivia Potosi
Bolivia Oruro

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Lithium Critical Primary
Potassium Primary
Magnesite Primary
Boron-Borates Primary
Halite Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Brine Ore

Analytical data

Result BRINE ANALYSES BY RETTIG ET. AL. (1980), ERICKSEN ET. AL. (1978) AND DAVIS ET AL (1982).. BRINES HAVE 325 G/L TDS AND PH OF 7.25.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 267
USGS model code 35b.13 (35bm)
Deposit model name Lithium-rich playa brines

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Evaporite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) -67.99949, -19.99759

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Possible N Trending Faults And Fractures

Ore body information

  • General form SALINE LAKE

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Highest Brine Concentrations Near Points Of Influx From Rio Grande River And Possible Upwelling Brines Through Pre-Existing Faults.

Comments on the geologic information

  • SOURCE OF LI IN BRINES WOULD APPEAR TO BE IGNIMBRITES WITHIN THE RIO GRANDE DRAINAGE BASIN.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1975
Discoverer U.S. Geological Survey/Servicio Geologico De Bolivia

Mining district

District name Salar Del Uyuni

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Complejo Industrial De Los Recursos Evaporiticos Del Salar De Uyuni

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ESTIMATE ASSUMING 13.5 CUBIC KILOMETERS OF BRINE WITH AVERAGE COMPOSITION 106 G/L NA, 8.7 G/L K, 0.423 G/L LI, 0.561 G/L CA, 7.86 G/L MG, 190 G/L CL, 10.3 G/L SO4, 0.247 G/L B, 0.009 G/L SIO2

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS WOULD BE BRINE EXTRACTION THROUGH WELLS

Comments on development

  • SALAR DE UYUNI RECOGNIZED TO BE FAVORABLE FOR ACCUMULATION OF LI-RICH BRINES BY ERICKSON ET AL (1976), CONFIRMED BY BRINE ANALYSES IN THAT YEAR. ; TOTAL$: 80000 ; MILL.CAP: 400 ; ECON.YEAR: 1989 ; ECON.COM: ESTIMATES FOR PLANNED 400,000 MT/Y LITHIUM CARBONATE PROJECT BY LITHCO CORP. PROPOSAL WAS REJECTED BY BOLIVIAN GOVERNMENT 4/90 AND PROJECT WILL BE PUT UP FOR INTERNATIONAL BID.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT IS FLAT LYING WITHIN A POROUS SALT CRUST UP TO 10 M THICK. HIGHEST BRINE CONCENTRATIONS ARE IN EAST-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST (SALMUERAS DEL RIO GRANDE) PORTIONS OF THE SALAR. THERE IS EVIDENCE OF DEEPER, DENSER BRINES, SOME OF WHICH MAY REACH THE NEAR SURFACE THROUGH FRACTURES IN SALT RELATED TO PRE-EXISTING NORTH TRENDING FAULTS.
Deposit THIS RECORD DESCRIBES BRINES FOR ALL OF SALAR DE UYUNI EXCEPT FOR THE RIO GRANDE RIVER DELTA AREA DESCRIBED SEPARATELY IN MRDS RECORD BL 10022 (SALMUERA DEL RIO GRANDE) ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT
Deposit Discovery Year: 1975-1976

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1990 Long, Keith R. U.S. Geological Survey PARSED HOST ROCK AND ASSOCIATED ROCK INFORMATION FROM OLD SINGLE VALUED FIELD TO NEW MULTIVALUED FIELD
Editor 27-APR-1995 Mosier, Dan U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.