Atacama Salt Basin
This is the Atacama salt basin located in the midst of the world's driest desert. Many salt fields and salt lakes abound, centered around 23o 30' S and 68o30' W which is the Latitude of the Capricorn. It is a basin 3,000 to 4,000m above sea level surrounded by tall mountains 5,000m to 6,000m in height. The slightly dark-gray area on the west is Atacama Salt Basin.The red protion seems to be an artificial construct.
The Andes spewed a lot of salt by volcanic eruption as a result of fierce mountain movements generated when the Nazca Plate in the Pacific bumped into the South. American Plate, causing the Nazca Plate to sink. Almost all of this area was within a single big lake in the Ice Age. When the Ice Age was over and the drying process started, salt fields or salt lakes were generated with a just a small amount of underground water in the bottom of the lakes.
The vegetation environment was quite poor and nothing except and-resistant bushes and special bacteria that can exist in salt water could live here. Flamingos also live in this lake, eating the bacteria as their staple food.
This is a barren area, but is rich in underground resources, mainly salt factories or many mineral mines. In addition, it is well-known for its strong winds due to the proximity of the Pacific and the Andes.
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