The Cone d'Arita in the Salar d'Arizaro in Argentina

Cono de Arita, a mysterious natural pyramid in the middle of a salar

Near the southern border of the Salar d’Arizaro, the sixth largest salt lake on earth and the second largest in Argentina , 70 km from Tolar Grande village, is a strange volcanic pyramid . An almost perfect cone, which rises unexpectedly in the middle of this bowl of salt. This is the question of Cono de Arita which appears majesticly 122 meters above the Salar. His name comes from the Aymara language where Arita means "pointu" or "deleted".

This cone is 3590 m above sea level in the province of Salta.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was considered that such a perfect cone could only be built by Man. But Cono de Arita is natural and it is assumed that he is a small volcano that has lacked force to burst through the crust and thus never let the lava explode or developed a crater. Around the cone, we find black salt, brought to the surface by the magma of the ancient underground castings. According to the archaeological remains found in the cone, the place was a Ceremony Centre before the arrival of the Incas.

The black cone, which owes its color to the lava that composes it, contrast strongly with the white extent Salar d’Arizaro. From the way we reach it, it seems that the Cono de Arita or close, but you have to walk 1 km to reach its base.

Sources: Wikipedia , Argentina.ar, Amusing Planet