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Salt Desert of Bolivia | The Salar Salt Desert is spread in an area of 10,582 square kilometers
Most of the residents of Bolivia believe the historical story behind the formation of salt desert there. As per their belief, people were as big as mountains in the ancient times. There was a girl named Tunupa. She married with a boy named Kusku. Kusku went off with another girl once due a small quarrel with her after the birth of a boy to them. Then Tunupa started crying along with breast feeding the baby. The tears of Tunupa flowed all over Bolivia which formed the Salar Salt Desert there.
The Salar desert is spread in about an area of 10,582 square kilometers. Geological scientists declared that there were several salt lakes which dried off in course of time and formed the current salt desert. This desert area is at a height of 11,995 feet from the surface of sea.
Salt exists to a depth of about 7 to 66 feet beneath the upper surface under which water contents are available. It is expected that a total of one crore tons of salt can be extracted from this desert. This salt is different from the cooking salt. This salt consists of many minerals such as Sodium, Potassium, Lithium, and Magnesium. The mineral Lithium Chloride is the major component of this salt. Half of the total lithium chloride content available in the world is at these salt deserts alone. Government of Bolivia extracts more than 25,000 tons of salt from this desert every year which will be exported to other countries to gain revenue.
When it rains in salt desert, water gathers on the surface which acts as mirrors. Most of the visitors come to see the beautiful reflection sceneries of the desert.
