The most saline lake in the world is an extraordinary and amazing natural phenomenon. There are similar reservoirs on almost all continents. Antarctica in this case is no exception. In America and Russia, there are entire zones where there are a huge number of such reservoirs. But what is the saltiest lake in the world?
Dead Sea
The list of the largest lakes by area is headed by the Dead Sea. Many may disagree with this. After all, this is not a lake, but the sea. However, it is not. The Dead Sea is closed, since it has no outlet to any of the oceans. This lake is located on the border between Jordan and Israel. In size, this pond is not very large. Its length is 76 kilometers and its width is only 18, its maximum depth is 370 meters. The total area of the Dead Sea is 810 m 2 . Gradually, the lake decreases in size.
Only one flows into this body of water from large rivers - the Jordan. The Dead Sea is also fed by small streams. However, the water in the lake quickly evaporates, since the air temperature here often drops below 40 ° C. On the contrary, salts remain and accumulate. In addition to fresh rivers, the Dead Sea is also fed by mineral springs located on its southern coast. As a result, the concentration of salts only increases and amounts to approximately 28%. And in some places this figure reaches 33%. For comparison, you can take the waters of the oceans. Here, the salt concentration is a maximum of 4%. The freshest water of the Dead Sea flows near its northern shores. Here, the salt concentration is only 24%. It is in this part that the Jordan River flows into it . As you can see, this is the most salty sea. Information about this reservoir changes every year. After all, the water level decreases, and the salt concentration increases.
Lakes also have legends
On the southern shore of the Dead Sea, nature has created amazing pillars. This happened due to the fact that in this part of the reservoir there are much more salts, and the water evaporates quickly enough. One of these pillars resembles a female figure dressed in a cloak. She even has her own name - "Lot's wife." It is associated with one of the biblical legends that tells how God decided to punish Gomorrah and Sodom. He warned one of the righteous, Lot, about his intention and ordered him to leave the city before his fall, not stopping along the road and not turning around. However, Lot's wife violated the ban and was eventually punished, turning into a pillar of salt.
The most saline lake in the world: is there life in it?
The name of the Dead Sea speaks for itself: there is no life in it. There are no fish and no algae. The banks of the pond are also lifeless. Even the surface of the Dead Sea does not resemble a water surface. It is more like an oily with a metallic tint liquid with white flakes of salt in smaller places.
However, scientists claim that this pond is not completely dead. It is inhabited by salt-loving bacteria, and sometimes even fungi are found.
Features of the Dead Sea
The most saline lake in the world has many features. First of all, its waters are saturated with various minerals, such as iodine, sodium, potassium and boron. The ancient healers knew about the beneficial properties of the salt solution of this reservoir. Water from the Dead Sea helps to heal all kinds of skin diseases.
However, swimming in this lake is almost impossible. After all, salt water can corrode the skin. If such a solution gets into any wound, then not quite pleasant sensations will arise. That is why swimming in the Dead Sea is not so nice. It is rather the lot of lovers of exotic or those who are forced to take such water treatments as prescribed by doctors.
By the way, it is difficult to dive in the Dead Sea, since its water is a thick saline solution. A person can only swing on the surface of the lake, like a float. Drowning in the Dead Sea is simply impossible. In addition, the coast of the reservoir is considered a rather low place on land. It is located just 0.4 kilometers below sea level.
Don Juan Lake
This is another saline lake in the world. However, few people know about its existence. Lake Don Juan is located on the glacial continent - in Antarctica. To be more precise, on the lands of Victoria in the Wright Valley. By the way, the hydronym has nothing to do with the famous lovelace - the lake is named after those people who first discovered it. These were the helicopter pilots John Hickey and Don Roh. They discovered the lake in 1961. It is very small in size. Around 1998, its depth was a little less than 100 meters, length - 1 kilometer, and width - 400 meters.
At the moment, the reservoir has significantly decreased in size. Now its depth is only 10 centimeters, length - 300 meters, and width - 100 meters. Water from it evaporates quickly enough. At the same time, Don Giovanni Lake does not dry up to the end. It is supported by underwater sources. After all, this reservoir is one of those places where groundwater comes to the surface.
Why is the salt lake
Scientists suggest that the lake became salty due to the large amount of salts in sedimentary rocks. It is through them that meltwater from springs passes. These sources are the main recharge of Lake Don Juan. Moreover, the air in the valley is very dry. Under such conditions, water evaporates much faster. At the moment, Don Juan Lake is ahead of the Dead Sea in salt concentration. Now this figure is 40%. Due to such a sufficiently high concentration, the pond does not freeze even at a temperature of -40 ° C.
As you can see, Don Giovanni Lake is the most saline lake in the world. But in size, it is significantly inferior to the Dead Sea. Scientists also became interested in this reservoir because the conditions in the area of this, so to speak, water area (intense cold, aridity, hypersaline, and high ultraviolet radiation) are very similar to those on the surface of Mars.
Elton Lake
The largest salt lakes in the world are a real miracle of nature. In the Volgograd region of Russia there is a reservoir Elton. It is the largest mineral water lake in all of Europe. The shape of this pond is almost round. The lake is located in the hollow between the salt domes. Moreover, the reservoir has no runoff. The most amazing thing is the color of the water in Lake Elton. She has a reddish tint.
The bacteria living in it, which are representatives of the species Dunaliella salina, give this color to Lake Elton. Not so long ago, salt was mined here.