Images
May 19, 2026 - Bolivian Salt Pans
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This stunning false color image of west-central South America was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on May 17, 2026. In this type of image, open land appears tan, vegetation is green, water is dark blue, and highly reflective surfaces such as salt pans show as electric blue. Clouds usually appear white or may be tinted with electric blue.
For orientation, the features visible in this image, from left (west) to right (east) include clouds over the Pacific Ocean with some fog creeping over the shoreline of Chile; the coastal plains of Chile rising to the Andes Mountains; and three large salt pans in the Altiplano region of Bolivia, two of which contain water.
The largest salt flat—the one with no visible water—is the Salar de Uyuni. The largest salt flat in the world, it stretches roughly 10,000 square kilometers (4,000 square miles) over the high plateau (Altiplano). To the northwest of the Salar de Uyuni lies the Salar de Coipasa, with shimmering blue water along the northeastern edge. Lake Poopó, with relatively abundant water, sits in the northeast.
These salt flats formed somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago when prehistoric saline lakes slowly dried up, leaving behind only a thick crust of minerals. The primary mineral is sodium chloride. The Salar de Uyuni is also know for its lithium deposits. Lithium, a metal that is found bound to other elements within the salt brine beneath the mineral crust, is used in batteries and in psychiatric medication. Extraction of lithium from the brine is no easy process, with potential impact on the water resources of the arid region.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/17/2026
Resolutions:
1km (179.5 KB), 500m (489.2 KB), 250m (572.4 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
This stunning false color image of west-central South America was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on May 17, 2026. In this type of image, open land appears tan, vegetation is green, water is dark blue, and highly reflective surfaces such as salt pans show as electric blue. Clouds usually appear white or may be tinted with electric blue.
For orientation, the features visible in this image, from left (west) to right (east) include clouds over the Pacific Ocean with some fog creeping over the shoreline of Chile; the coastal plains of Chile rising to the Andes Mountains; and three large salt pans in the Altiplano region of Bolivia, two of which contain water.
The largest salt flat—the one with no visible water—is the Salar de Uyuni. The largest salt flat in the world, it stretches roughly 10,000 square kilometers (4,000 square miles) over the high plateau (Altiplano). To the northwest of the Salar de Uyuni lies the Salar de Coipasa, with shimmering blue water along the northeastern edge. Lake Poopó, with relatively abundant water, sits in the northeast.
These salt flats formed somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago when prehistoric saline lakes slowly dried up, leaving behind only a thick crust of minerals. The primary mineral is sodium chloride. The Salar de Uyuni is also know for its lithium deposits. Lithium, a metal that is found bound to other elements within the salt brine beneath the mineral crust, is used in batteries and in psychiatric medication. Extraction of lithium from the brine is no easy process, with potential impact on the water resources of the arid region.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/17/2026
Resolutions:
1km (179.5 KB), 500m (489.2 KB), 250m (572.4 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
