At more than 3,700 meters (12,000 feet) above sea level, the "karachi" swims happily in dense salt flat waters, but locals worry a future lithium project will endanger this extreme-environment fish.

STORY: On Chile's Ascotan salt flat, this "karachi" fish somehow survives.But this resilient species, existing in an extreme environment more than two miles above sea level, is now facing a different threat - from the mining industry.

At more than 3,700 meters above sea level, the “karachi” swims happily in dense salt flat waters, but locals worry a future lithium project will endanger this extreme-environment fish. The Orestias ascotanensis is a small ray-finned fish that grows to just 7.