Looking down at Earth from the International Space Station, an astronaut snapped this picture of solar evaporation ponds, which create brightly colored rectangles that stand out against the arid soils of Chile's Atacama Desert.
Mineral-rich waste liquids from nearby iodine processing plants are collected in the ponds. The sun evaporates the liquid, leaving behind nitrogen crystals that are then sold for use in fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, explosives, glass, and ceramics.
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