Brine Deposits at the Salar de Atacama (IMAGE) University of Massachusetts Amherst Caption UMass Amherst graduate student Lilly Corenthal making notes at one of the largest lithium brine and salt deposits in the world, a deposit 3,900 feet thick in Chile's Atacama Desert, with the Andes Mountains in the background. The basin drains a surprisingly larger area of the Andean Plateau than geoscientists had expected. Credit UMass Amherst Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.