Lithium mining is slowly sinking Chile's Atacama salt flat, study shows

FILE PHOTO: A brine pool reflects clouds at a lithium mine in the Atacama salt flat, close to San Pedro de Atacama area, Antofagasta region, Chile May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photo

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's Atacama salt flat is sinking at a rate of 1 to 2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) per year due to lithium brine extraction, according to a study by the University of Chile.

The study used satellite data collected between 2020 and 2023 to verify deformations in the Earth's crust. It was published in the IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing journal.