Three are in the Salar del Hombre Muerto (The Dead Man’s Salt Flat), just 100 kilometres from Antofagasta de la Sierra. Lithium mining arrived in Catamarca long before the soft metal became the subject of fierce competition among global powers. Around half worked in lithium mining, and 80% were men. In total, Catamarca captures 10.9% of the tax revenue generated by lithium mining, according to a report by the Fundar think tank. The two organisations are concerned by the threat mining poses to the Trapiche river and the Los Patos aquifer, whose waters are used by eight mining projects in the salt flats.