Hydrogeologic and Geochemical Distinctions in Freshwater?Brine Systems of an Andean Salar

The Salar de Atacama contains one of the world's most important lithium resources and hosts unique fragile desert ecosystems. Water use issues hyper-arid region have placed it at center global attention. This work combines geochemical hydrogeologic data with remote sensing analysis to address differences in water zones marginal environments salar. samples from across inflow brine transition were collected over period 2012–2016 analyzed for ?D, 3H, 87Sr/86Sr major minor elements. ?D values range about ?64‰ +20‰, 3H as Rmod 0.01 0.36 0.70750 0.70804 highest occurring regions open water. Geochemical modeling results indicate shallow zone waters are saturated respect calcite, whereas all others gypsum, halite. Long-term remote-sensing surface body extents that extreme precipitation events primary driver area changes exemplified by an increase size lagoons a factor 2.7 after storm. A new conceptual model freshwater incorporates variability aquifer geology, hydrology geochemistry explain bodies is presented. subsurface brines halite nucleus geochemically distinct compared groundwater discharge features (e.g., lagoons) modern time scales which aids conceptualizing system.