salar

Salar is a geographic term used in Spanish-speaking regions to describe a salt flat, a broad, relatively level area that forms when water in an endorheic basin evaporates, leaving behind a crust of salt and other minerals. The word is commonly applied to large, arid-region landscapes in South America, where the evaporative processes create expansive, reflective surfaces distinct from other desert features such as dunes or rock plateaus.

Salt flats arise in closed basins with limited or no outflow. Evaporation concentrates dissolved minerals, which precipitate to form a crust of halite and related minerals. The surface often develops polygonal patterns from drying and shrinking, with shallow brine pools in some areas. In many Salar, brines beneath the crust contain mineral resources such as lithium, borates, or salt, making them targets for extraction as well as tourism and scientific study. Wildlife on some flats includes specially adapted birds that feed on brine shrimp and other microorganisms.

Notable examples include Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the world’s largest salt flat by area, which is a major tourist destination and an important site for mineral extraction. In Chile, Salar de Atacama hosts extensive lithium brine deposits used for modern battery production, while other Salar such as Huasco and Pocitos are also significant. Salar landscapes are valued for their natural beauty, mineral resources, and their unique ecological and atmospheric phenomena, which attract researchers and visitors alike.

The term is also used more generally in toponymy to denote salt flats and related features in various Spanish-speaking regions.