Salar de Talar facts for kids
Salar de Talar is a large salt flat in northern Chile. It covers about 46 square kilometers. You can find it high up in the Andes mountains, about 3,950 meters (12,960 feet) above sea level. This salt flat is one of many salt lakes and flats. They are all found near volcanoes, east of the even bigger Salar de Atacama.
The area around Salar de Talar is like a giant bowl. Water flows into it but doesn't flow out to the ocean. This type of area is called a closed basin. This basin covers about 476 square kilometers. It is next to other similar basins, like those of Laguna Miscanti and Laguna Tuyajto. Long ago, Salar de Talar was a large lake. This lake was connected to another salt flat called Salar Purisunchi.
Geography and Surroundings
The Salar de Talar salt flat has interesting neighbors. To its west is a mountain called Caichinque. To its east is Cerro Medano. Cerro Medano is a mountain with cool shades of gray and brown. These colors look amazing next to the bright white salt flat. Plus, there are colorful ponds around the edges of the salt flat.
A large lava flow from the Caichinque volcano once moved into Salar de Talar. This lava created two big sections that pushed into the salt flat. The salt on the flat's surface forms cool shapes, almost like a puzzle. These are called polygonal shapes.
Climate and Nature
The weather in this area is very dry. On average, it only gets about 150 millimeters (6 inches) of rain each year. Salar de Talar is part of a region called the Central Andean dry puna. In this zone, you'll mostly see tough, clumpy grass known as tussock grass.
See also
In Spanish: Salar de Talar para niños
- Salar de Aguas Calientes (disambiguation)
- Miñiques
- Cordón de Puntas Negras
