Which Bolivian salt flat was formed from prehistoric Lake Minchin?

Salar de Uyuni is the Bolivian salt flat associated with prehistoric Lake Minchin.

Salar de Uyuni formed through the repeated drying and transformation of several Late Pleistocene lakes in Bolivia's high Altiplano. Lake Minchin occupied the region roughly 30,000 to 42,000 years ago, after which later lake stages, including Paleo Lake Tauca and Coipasa, also shaped the basin. As the water evaporated, dissolved minerals accumulated into immense salt deposits.

The result is the world's largest salt flat, covering about 10,582 square kilometres. Its surface is an exceptionally level salt crust, while brine and lacustrine mud lie beneath. During the rainy season, a thin layer of water can turn the flat into a giant natural mirror.

The wording sometimes oversimplifies the geology: Salar de Uyuni was not created by Lake Minchin alone. It is the product of a long sequence of ancient lakes and drying episodes. Etosha Pan and the Bonneville Salt Flats are also salt-rich landscapes, while Salar de Atacama is another South American salt flat, but none is the Bolivian formation described here.