Overview
- The photo, published by NASA’s Earth Observatory as an Image of the Day on Feb. 14, 2025, was taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station using a high-resolution digital camera.
- Identified as Salinas Las Barrancas (Laguna de Salinas Chicas) in Buenos Aires province, the shallow basin lies about 53 kilometers from Bahía Blanca and spans roughly 10 kilometers at its widest point.
- Seasonal rains refill the endorheic basin, then strong solar radiation drives evaporation that exposes salt-crystal flats and alters the water’s coloration.
- During lower salinity phases the microalga Dunaliella salina dominates, whereas at extreme salinity halophilic archaea and bacteria intensify the pink hue.
- Local operators traditionally extract up to about 300,000 metric tons of salt twice yearly, and NASA paired the image with a frozen view of Lake Saint Clair, noting both were processed to enhance contrast.