Altiplano

George Steinmetz

National Geographic Magazine

First light of dawn hits Isla Pabellon (el. 12,877 ft.), a volcanic islet in the Salar de Uyuni. The island has been terraced with ancient shore lines from wetter times when the Salar de Uyuni was a lake. The Salar is the largest salt flat in the world, covering some 10,500 sq. km. and containing over 10 billion tons of salt. It was formed by evaporating runnoff that became trapped between two branches of the Andes without any outlet to the sea.

George Steinmetz, "Altiplano," in POYi Archive, Item #41856, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/41856 (accessed November 22, 2024).