9 Most Magical Natural Phenomena at Salar de Uyuni

4. Rainbow Salt Crystals

The salt crystals provide a magnificent prismatic effect during particular times of the day, especially during sunrise and sunset, which turns the white salt flat into a rainbow-coloured show-off. Sunlight striking the minuscule surfaces of millions of salt crystals at exact angles causes light to split into its component colours. The effect is especially striking during the change between wet and dry seasons when surface salt crystals of different diameters abound. Scientists have shown how the salt's crystalline form along with trace minerals like lithium, magnesium, and potassium helps to create this amazing show.

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As the sun's angle shifts over the day, visitors can see bands of colour sweeping over the terrain. The phenomenon is especially strong during the golden hours when the low angle of the sun generates longer light paths across the crystals, therefore enhancing the rainbow appearance. Expert photographers have caught breathtaking pictures of this event, demonstrating how the whole salt flat might be turned into a natural light display with complexity and beauty that compares with the aurora borealis.