Salar De Uyuni Deposit

Occurrence in Potosi, Bolivia with commodities Halite, Potassium, Gypsum-Anhydrite
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Land status
  12. Ownership information
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10005846
MRDS ID BL10005
Record type Site
Current site name Salar De Uyuni Deposit
Alternate or previous names Costra De Sal Del Salar De Uyuni
Related records 60000727, 10005858

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -67.99949, -19.99759 (WGS84)
Elevation 3653
Relative position EASTERN EDGE OF THE SALAR DE UYUNI IS 4 KM WEST 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

Comments on the location information

  • LOCATION IS APPROXIMATE CENTER OF THE SALAR DE UYUNI, A DRY LAKE 9000 SQUARE KILOMETERS IN EXTENT, THE LARGEST DRY LAKE IN THE WORLD.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Halite Primary
Potassium Tertiary
Gypsum-Anhydrite Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gypsum Ore
Halite Ore
Sylvite Ore
Calcite Gangue

Analytical data

Result SEE RETTIG, ET. AL., 1980
Result BALLIVIAN AND RISACHER, 1981 FOR BRINE ANALYSES

Host and associated rocks

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

Nearby scientific data

(1) -67.99949, -19.99759

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form DRY LAKE BED
    Thickness 10M
    Length 150000M
    Width 140000M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 10M

Comments on the geologic information

  • LAKE BED CONSISTS OF A CRUST OF HALITE UP TO 10 M THICK OVERLYING A LAYER OF IMPERMEABLE MUD. ADDITIONAL SALT LAYERS ARE KNOWN TO EXIST BELOW THE EXPOSED SALT CRUST. BRINES ARE FOUND 10 TO 20 CM BEKLOW

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Discoverer Native Americans

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

  • TONNAGE OF SALT IN EXPOSED SALT CRUST. VOLUME OF CRUST IS 45 CUBIC KM WITH 30% POROSITY. MINOR IMPURITIES OF SYLVITE AND GYPSUM ARE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR.

Comments on the workings information

  • WORKINGS WOULD BE OPEN PIT

Reference information

Bibliographic references

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT IS FLAT LYING CONSISTING OF A POROUS SALT CRUST UP TO 10 M THICK. A DIAMOND DRILL HOLE NEAR ISLA DE PESCADP PENETRATED 15 M OF SALT CRUST AND BOTTOMED IN BRINE SATURATED LACUSTRINE SEDIMENTS AT 150 M. IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE SALAR THE CRUST CAN BE A THIN AS 50 CM.
Deposit LI-B-K BRINES ARE DESCRIBED SEPARATELY IN MRDS RECORDS BL10022 (SALMUERA DEL RIO GRANDE) AND BL10021 (SALMUERAS DEL SALAR DE UYUNI) ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1990 Long, K.R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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