This photo of Salar de Coypas and its neighbor Salar de Uyuni in the Bolivian Andes was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Visible from low Earth orbit, the salt flats have stark white hues that contrast with the surrounding dark rocks. Various volcanic cones dot the image, such as Cerro Tetivilla, which separates two salt lakes; Wila Pukarani, located on the salt flats of Coipas; and Paryani at the northern tip of Coipas.

Research significance of salt marshes in the Andes

In recent years, Andean salt marshes have been the subject of climate and space analog studies, serving as intermediate information about Earth’s climate history and the Martian environment. While salt textures tell the climatic and geological history of the region, the brine brines and hydrated clay beneath the salt crust are of interest to scientists on both Earth and Mars.

For Earth climate researchers, salts are markers of previous paleoenvironments. Layers containing mainly halite (NaCl) and gypsum (CaSO)₄) — dry salts often used in mining and agriculture — represent periods of drought in the South American continent. The layers, which are mostly in alluvial consistency and contain organic matter and microfossils, represent rainy periods.

Concepts related to the Martian environment

For Mars researchers, Uyuni and Coipas are natural laboratories used to study the Martian environment. Uyuni brines and clays are comparable to Martian brines and clays and provide insight into fluvial and eolian processes on Mars. The geology and geochemistry of Uyuni can be seen as an analogy to the Aureum Chaos, a large basin on the surface of Mars. Source