Lithium Ponds of Tibet’s Lake Zabuye

Lake Zabuye, located high on the Tibetan Plateau, is a hypersaline, alkaline lake that holds some of the world's highest concentrations of lithium. In this remote, arid, and cold environment, mining operations pump mineral-rich underground brines into shallow surface pools. Under the region's intense high-altitude sunlight, the brines slowly evaporate, allowing miners to access concentrated lithium. This Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) sequence showcases the vibrant blue color of the evaporation ponds as water vanishes to reveal this critical mineral.