The Salar de Uyuni at 3,656 meters (11,995 ft) above sea level, Oruro & Potosí, Bolivia.
Image by ER’s Eyes – Our planet is so beautiful.
Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of a salt crust, which has an extraordinary leveling with variations of average altitude of less than one meter throughout the entire area of the Salar. The crust serves as a source of copper salt and a pool of brine, which is extremely rich in lithium. It contains 50 to 70% of the world’s lithium reserves, a resource that is in the process of being mined. The large area, clear sky and exceptional leveling of the surface make Salar an ideal object to calibrate the altimeters of Earth observation satellites.
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PS. After Bolivia, Elon Musk says capitalists can overthrow any government they want.
Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk has come under fire after welcoming last year’s overthrow of Bolivian president Evo Morales in what was seen as a bid to obtain the country’s lithium reserves.
In response to a tweet on Saturday that accused the U.S. government of forcing Morales out, allowing Musk to access Bolivian resources, he wrote: “We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it.”
Hundreds of Bolivia’s Indigenous population were massacred following what was branded “a fascist coup” against Morales, who is currently in exile in Argentina.
Bolivia has between 25% and 45% of the world’s known lithium reserves, an estimated 21 tons, most of which is in the Salar de Uyuni salt flat.
Lithium is a crucial component of the batteries used in Tesla vehicles and other electric cars, as well as computers, smartphones, and other equipment, and its value is set to skyrocket as sales of such vehicles increase.
peoplesworld.org/article/after-bolivia-elon-musk-says-cap…