salt pan

an undrained natural depression, as a crater or tectonic basin, in which the evaporation of water leaves a deposit of salt.

Origin of salt pan

First recorded in 1485–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

And there's no mistake about it; it isn't no salt-pan, but fresh water fit for a king to drink.
The Bushranger's Secret|Mrs. Henry Clarke
Then said Nqong from his bath in the salt-pan, "Come and ask me about it to-morrow, because I'm going to wash."
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
To avoid the salt-pan, we turned to the right, so as to skirt its eastern side.
Adventures in Africa|W.H.G. Kingston
Then said Nqong from his bath in the salt-pan, 'Come and ask me about it tomorrow, because I'm going to wash.'
Just So Stories|Rudyard Kipling

Then there is the fish-pond to make, and also a salt-pan to cut out of the rock.
Masterman Ready|Captain Frederick Marryat

Science definitions for salt pan

A small, undrained, shallow depression in which water accumulates, evaporates, and deposits salt.

A small lake of brackish water occupying such a depression.