Salinas Grandes

The Salinas Grandes is the name of three salt deserts ( Salare ) in Argentina:

Salinas Grandes

The Salinas Grandes (30 ° S, 65 ° W -30 -65) lies in an endorheic valley on the border of the provinces of Catamarca ( La Paz Department ), Cordoba ( Departamento Cruz del Eje, Departamento Ischilin, Departamento Minas, Departamento Sobremonte and Departamento Tulumba ), La Rioja ( Departamento Chamical ) and Santiago del Estero ( Departamento Ojo de Agua ). The average extension of the highly fluctuating water area is 6,000 km ².

Salinas Grandes del Noroeste

The Salinas Grandes del Noroeste (24 ° S, 66 ° W -24 -66) are located on the border of the provinces of Salta ( Departamento La Poma ) and Jujuy ( Departamento Cochinoca and Departamento Tumbaya ) in a high valley at about 3,450 m above sea level. The about 820 km ² lake was created before 5 to 10 million years ago in the wake of tectonic changes on the eastern slopes of the Andes. This lost several rivers such as the Rio del San Antonio de los Cobres, the Rio de los Burros and the Rio Talao, its drain and now form the main sources of the Salinas Grandes and the northerly Laguna de Guayatayoc. The 30 -centimeter-thick, mostly consisting of sodium chloride salt layer is mined near an artificial island on the dam of the Ruta Nacional 52 (Argentina ).

Salinas Grandes del Sur

The Salinas Grandes del Sur ( 39 ° S, 63 ° W -39 63) is only about 45 km southwest of the provincial capital of Bahia Blanca; they are a smaller number of tectonically induced lowering the border between the provinces of Buenos Aires and La Pampa near the Rio Colorado, which were filled by flooding during the dry season with salt. They have already been commercially exploited in the 18th and 19th centuries, a transport to Buenos Aires was smooth and allowed for example the curing of meat. The main production sites are located in the department of Puan, in the department of Adolfo Alsina and Departamento Villarino, where a depth of 61 meters below sea level is achieved.