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Bolivien, Alti Plano, Salar de Uyuni, Unwetter ueber der Salzwueste, aus der Serie "SALAR", Suedamerika, Januar 2011 Engl.: Bolivia, Alti Plano, Salar de Uyuni, severe storm crossing the salt desert, from the series "SALAR", South America, January 2011, windstorm, thunderstorm, severe weather, salt flat, landscape, travel, lithium, natural resources, Andes, dark sky, clouds, rain, salt crust, laif_creative II In the South West of Bolivia lies the „Salar de Uyuni“, a vast salt flat at an elevation of 3, 656 meters. The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. It contains 50 to 70% of the world‘s lithium reserves. Lithium, a key resource for the battery industry, is a strategic asset for the technology development. ..In Llipi Llipi, close to the small village of Rio Grande, some 80 km from Uyuni, Comibol, the Bolivian comission dealing with mineral resources, is building a pilot plant, the first in Bolivia, to extract and process lithium...In the middle of the salt desert, a few large evaporation pools have been built by Comibol to test the level of lithium present in the water and experiment with different exctraction processes. This photo shows the construction site. (KEYSTONE/LAIF/Daniel Hofer)