307 sedimentary systems. Drilling‑engineering and rock‑mechanics analyses confirm that horizontal development of these shallow reservoirs is technically feasible, opening the door to more innovative and efficient resource‑delivery strategies. Leveraging advanced reservoir‑characterization techniques and real‑world case studies, we demonstrate that horizontal drilling enables operators to dynamically steer wellbores into the most productive, high‑porosity and high‑permeability zones. This targeted approach improves recovery efficiency, reduces unnecessary drilling exposure, and supports more responsible land and water use—key expectations from society and regulators. In contrast, vertical wells, limited by fixed trajectories, are more likely to intersect lower‑quality facies, resulting in reduced production and less efficient use of environmental and financial resources. By embracing horizontal drilling in these challenging settings, the industry can step beyond traditional practices, accelerate mineral supply, and strengthen public trust through smarter, more sustainable extraction. Salars can be classified by a) the proportion of clastic sediments relative to evaporites, b) climatic and tectonic factors, influenced by altitude and latitude and c) basin hydrology, which governs the input of fresh water. This yields to a differentiation into mature halite and immature clastic salars (Houston et al., 2011; Figure 4). The former, characterized by a lower moisture flux and therefore common in the lower and drier parts of the lithium triangle, typically shows a relatively uniform and thick sequence of halite occasionally intercalated by thin layers of widespread silty clay deposits from ancient flood events and volcanic fallout. These layers exhibit variable permeability, which can result in the development of alternating aquifers and aquicludes. In contrast to mature salars, immature clastic salars typically experience higher precipitation and lower evaporation rates. As a result, they are generally located at higher altitude and occur predominantly in the wetter northern and eastern sectors of the region. These deposits are characterized by alternating layers of fine-grained sediments and evaporitic beds composed of halite and/or ulexite. This stratigraphic pattern reflects fluctuations in sediment supply driven by variable tectonic activity and climatic condition The hydraulic conductivity of mature halite salars exhibit distinct differences compared to immature clastic salars (Houston et al., 2011). Mature halite salars are typically more homogeneous and isotropic, with hydraulic conductivity primarily governed by matrix porosity and, in localized zones, by fissures. Data from the Salar de Atacama and Hombre Muerto (Houston, 1987–1996, unpublished) indicate that fissures occur most frequently at depths of 5– 25 m within halite. In these zones, hydraulic conductivity can reach values as high as 10⁵ m/d, whereas matrix hydraulic conductivity in the upper 30 m generally ranges between 10 and 100 m/d. Below 30 m, hydraulic conductivity decreases significantly due to cementation and crystal overgrowth (Casas and Lowenstein, 1989). Conversely, clastic sediments are characteristically heterogeneous and anisotropic, with hydraulic conductivity strongly influenced by lithology. Fissures are largely absent, resulting in hydraulic conductivity values that range from 10⁻² to 10² m/d. Hydraulic conductivity in clastic salars declines only slightly with depth across the typical extraction interval.
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