New observations on a salt massif in the Cordillera de la Sal, Atacama desert, northern Chile

New observations on a salt massif in the Cordillera de la Sal, Atacama desert, northern Chile.- Observations carried out over the last 10 years on a salt massif west of the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile have led to a better understanding of its genesis. The observations support the interpretation the salt body is a folded structure and not a salt diapir Its surface hydrology and that of the underground water circulation have been established through detailed surface mapping of the ca. 2 km(2) salt outcrop. A model explaining this endorheic hydrologic regime is proposed. Most salt dissolution is thought to have occurred in the Early Holocene.