In the northern part of Tanzania, the unique Lake Natron is located. The water in this pond is always warm and quite salty. In the southeast of the lake is the Gelay volcano. Natron is located near the Kenyan border. The water resource is the Nyiro River and thermal springs rich in minerals.
general characteristics
The depth of the lake is constantly changing and very dependent on the season. The average depth of the reservoir is small - about 3 meters. In summer, strong evaporation is observed, the concentration of salts and other minerals (especially sodium carbonate) increases sharply . Water temperature can reach +50 , and alkalinity ranges from 9 to 10.5. Due to the large variety of biological organisms, Natron is ranked as a region of international importance.
Mysterious Red Color
Frightening red color can be seen only in those parts of the lake where the highest evaporation is observed. Lake Natron is so salty that a large number of cyanobacteria are formed here. As a result of photosynthesis, these bacteria turn red, and in places of their most extensive concentration, even water stains. In shallow water, the water has a pinkish tint.
The climate of the region
The climate in the lake area is very severe. It is very hot here, and the air is too dry and dusty - such conditions do not contribute to tourist trips at all. The area around the reservoir remains uninhabited, but recently there have been many tourist centers around it.
Is Natron the cradle of civilization?
Thousands of years ago, in the area where Lake Natron is located, hominids lived, who are considered the distant ancestors of modern man. Now near Natron live a few tribes of Salei from the Massai clan. This community lives due to cattle breeding, driving animals along the lake in search of pasture. To feed themselves, local Aborigines sell milk, meat and animal blood.
Quiet Flamingo Harbor
Lake Natron in Tanzania is a habitat for a rare species of small flamingo. This species of birds lives only in the area of this reservoir. The pond has become a favorite place for flamingos not by accident: its soda- rich waters scare away predators with its pungent odor, which allows birds to feel safe. At the height of the season, about two million pink flamingos fly here to create offspring. In 1962, as a result of heavy rains, a flood occurred here, as a result, about a million flamingo eggs were destroyed.
Natron Lake Statues
A couple of years ago, the lake was visited by the popular photographer Nick Brand. He was horrified when he saw eerie statues of petrified animals throughout the pond. Brand later found out that these were indeed real animals, petrified by the strongest alkaline concentration in Natron.
Nick Brand suggested that the mirror image in the water confuses the birds, and they rush into it and die. True, scientists do not share the views of the photographer and put forward a more realistic theory. They believe that the birds actually die by their death, and the water in the lake washes their remains. Since Natron is very rich in mineral salts, animal corpses harden and remain so forever.
In fact, Brand already found them dead in the water, and he himself planted them as if they were frozen on a branch or “floating” in the water. These gloomy photos flew around the world and made Lake Natron even more famous.
These shocking images of calcified animals and many other photographs taken in Tanzania and other African countries, Nick Brand included in his book, which is devoted to the tortured planet Earth.
Recreational opportunities and environmental problems of the region
In the squares adjacent to the lake there are two permanent luxury campsites and several mobile adventure camps. One of the camps is located in a valley with a picturesque view of Mount Kilimanjaro. Here you can hunt mountain buffalo, gerenuk, oryx, lion, hyena, white antelope, zebra, leopard, caracal and other animals. If killing animals is not for you, then you can go on a photo safari.
Until recent decades, Lake Natron (the photo of the reservoir is really shocking) remained a zone with a unique ecosystem. However, now the Tanzanian government intends to build a plant for the production of soda ash on the shore , and it is planned to build a hydroelectric station on the Nyiro River. If the plans of the authorities are implemented, then this will lead to a violation of the imbalance of fauna and flora in the lake. Many public organizations have already expressed their protest against the government’s intentions to build industrial facilities in the region. Today it is still not very clear whether the construction will nevertheless be carried out or not. Nevertheless, one hopes that natural wealth will become a higher priority for the Tanzanian government than economic benefits.