Salar de Pedernales

Salar de Pedernales is a large salt flat in the Atacama Region of Chile. It lies east of the Cordillera Domeyko at an elevation of 3,370 metres (11,060 ft). The salt flat has an irregular shape and consists mostly of gypsum and rock salt, with an area of 0.6 square kilometres (0.23 sq mi)-1.1 square kilometres (0.42 sq mi) covered by open water. During the late Pleistocene, the climate was wetter and thus open water covered a much larger area of Salar de Pedernales.

Rocks around Salar de Pedernales range in age from Paleozoic to Miocene. The salt flat formed when during the formation of the Andes, the former course of the Río Salado [es] was blocked. Presently, the main water source of Salar de Pedernales is the Ola river, which enters from the southeast.

The salt flat is a habitat for birds (mainly flamingoes) and lizards. Prehistoric people used resources around the area, leaving numerous archaeological sites. Presently, the Ola river is used as a water source for nearby mining operations, and other natural resources of Salar de Pedernales have been prospected.