These ponds measure 1.5 square kilometers, and are lined with rubber to keep the salts in.
Once the potassium and salts are left behind, they are gathered and sent off for processing.
After the water evaporated, the potassium salts crystallized into large beds of potash deposits.
These formed about 300 million years ago and today lies about 1,200 meters below the surface.
The resulting brine is pumped out of the wells to the surface and fed to the evaporation ponds.
The sun evaporates the water, leaving behind crystals of potassium and other salt.
This evaporation process typically takes about 300 days.
Intrepid Potash, Inc. produces between 700 and 1,000 tons of potash per day from this mine.
Sources:Live Science/NASA/WikipediaviaMessyNessyChic
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