The Salar del Hombre Muerto is a salar or salt desert of Argentina. It is located in the province of Catamarca (Département of Antofagasta of the Sierra) and very partially at north, in the province of Salta (Département of Los the Andes). It is at an altitude of approximately 4  000 meters and extends in a basin located between the North-East from the province from Catamarca and the south from that from Salta. Its surface is more or less 600 km ².

Affluents

A salar cannot exist that if there are rivers which flow there and bring rock salt to it. For the salar del Hombre muerto, the principal affluent is the Río Los Patos ( river the ducks ). This one is born on the northern edge from the Caldeira Cerro Galán with the level from sources from warm water which spouts out with the state of boiling (to 80 °C precisely - to forget only at this altitude of more than 4.500 meters water boils at a temperature largely lower than the 100 °C usual).

At this place is born the río Aguas Calientes which, 20 kilometers more in north takes the name of río Los Patos. It should be added that, so much in the río Los Patos than in his affluents, one can fish beautiful rainbow trouts there.

Non-ferrous metal layer

One liter of brine of the salar contains 0,7 0,8 gram from Lithium and 7 to 8 grams of Potassium. The salar is important for the exploitation of the Lithium which is carried out there since 1997. One produced there several thousands of annual tons of lithium carbonate and chloride, within a company calculated to be profitable during 40 years (thus until 2037 more or less). Installations, although designed to produce 18  000 tons annually, provide some much less. The production is very irregular and function of the market demand.

Lithium is exported to 100%. The exit and access road is done by the north of the salar by means of provincial roads 17 of the province of Salta (which prolongs in north provincial the 43 of the province of Catamarca, connecting the salar to the town of Antofagasta of the Sierra). By provincial the 17 long one of 99 km, salts of lithium are forwarded to the railroad connecting San Antonio of los Cobres to the collar border of the Paso Socompa (station of Salar de Pocitos). This railway is the prolongation towards the west of the famous Train of the clouds, and continuous with the Chile towards the port of Antofagasta. Once arrived in this city, the ores are embarked bound for the the United States, of Eastern Asia and besides.

The lithium layer of the salar del Hombre Muerto is most important of the world.

The operating company is corporation FMC, through its subsidiary company Minera del Altiplano S.a.

The factory of production of lithium chloride is in General Güemes, in province of Salta.

The area of the salar is quasi uninhabited, but, contrary to most of the department of Antofagasta of the Sierra, it profits from the presence of provincial roads, which makes its access relatively easy.

Violations of legality by the FMC

The company étatsunienne FMC is shown to have illegally posed fences on roads, thus barring the passage to the Argentinian residents wanting to go to the schools or the town of Antofagasta of the Sierra. It would have thus adapted grounds belonging to the province of Catamarca. Complaint was deposited.

See too

External bonds

  • Chart of the province of Catamarca

  • Chart of the departments of Antofagasta of the Sierra and Tinogasta
  • Site of the national management of the mines
  • Felt sorry for concerning the abuses and violations of the rights perpetrated by the FMC against the residents

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