Fig. 1: Conceptual block diagram highlighting the generalized hydrogeology of the closed basins in this study.
From: Freshwater inflows to closed basins of the Andean plateau in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia

The basins can be divided into three zones: the recharge zone, the discharge zone, and the basin floor. The diagram includes modern freshwater sources (fresh groundwater recharge and streamflow) and freshwater demand (freshwater use for communities and lithium mining and environmental water requirements). Groundwater recharge is shown by dark blue arrows, regional groundwater flow paths as black arrows, and vegetation as green “V” shapes. Water salinity is represented by shaded areas beneath the water table: freshwater (blue), brackish water (yellow), and brine (red). The major outflow from these basins is evapotranspiration, primarily from brackish water and brine (red arrows). The focus of this study is the freshwater processes occurring in the recharge zone. This figure is vertically exaggerated.