![]() The extraction of these resources is a significant source of income for local communities, but it has a negative impact on the lake's ecosystem. The lake contains a variety of valuable resources, including salt and soda ash, which are used in the manufacture of various products. The end result is a haunting and eerie reminder of nature's power and the ability of even the harshest environments to produce something beautiful.ĭespite its unique and fascinating characteristics, Lake Natron is threatened by human activity. Petrification can take several years, during which time the animals' bodies are transformed into stone. Lake Natron's petrified animals include birds, fish, and even bats, and they are incredibly well-preserved. This has resulted in the creation of some of the world's most bizarre and fascinating natural sculptures. The rare phenomenon is caused by the chemical makeup of the. The lake's high levels of sodium carbonate and other minerals cause the bodies of animals that drowned to become calcified and preserved. Theres a deceptively still body of water in Tanzania with a deadly secretit turns any animal it touches to stone. The most famous of these formations are the petrified animals that have been turned into stone by Lake Natron's mineral-rich waters. In fact, the lake's pH level can reach 10.5, which is comparable to household bleach. The water is so alkaline that it can burn the skin and eyes of animals that aren't used to it. The lake's high concentration of salt and other minerals gives it a bright red color. The color of the water is the first thing that visitors to Lake Natron notice. The organic material is completely replaced by minerals as the permineralization process continues, resulting in a petrified specimen. These minerals fill the spaces between the organism's cells, preserving the organism's original shape and form. Permineralization gradually replaces organic material with minerals such as silica, calcite, or pyrite. This process is known as permineralization. Minerals from the surrounding rock or sediment begin to seep into the organic material over time, eventually replacing the original material on a cellular level. The organic material is first buried by sediment or volcanic ash, which protects it from decay and exposure to the elements. While this lake remains deadly to most, it is still a vital ecosystem.There are several steps involved in the process of petrifaction. The proposed construction of a hydroelectric plant on the Ewaso Ng’iro River and a soda ash plant on its shores threatens the lake’s salinity and the flamingos. If they spent any longer in the lake, they would have died.Ĭurrently, Lake Natron is under threat. It burned their eyes and skin, but they managed to drag themselves ashore. Everyone survived the crash but they were in the water unprotected. In 2007, a helicopter carrying a group of wildlife videographers wishing to get footage of the flamingos crashed into the lake. People have occasionally survived the lake’s potency. Lake Natron would have saved pharaonic embalmers a lot of work. The ancient Egyptians used sodium carbonate and bicarbonate in the mummification process. Photo: Shutterstockįor most humans, the lake’s qualities are more suitable for the dead than the living. The lake doesn’t quite have that instant effect. The graphically eerie positions looked like the finger of Medusa had really touched them. Wildlife photographer Nick Brandt made headlines in 2013 by staging photos of the mummified remains of the poor creatures around Lake Natron. They drown in the toxic potion, and their outsides and insides calcify. The mirror-like surface tricks them into diving into the red waters for food. Some alkaline tilapia (a member of the cichlid family) can sustain themselves in the cooler parts of the lake.īut to some wildlife, especially birds, Lake Natron can be a death trap. Somehow, a few species of fish, invertebrates, and algae manage to live in the lake. ![]() In Lake Natron, their pigment paints the water a striking red. Generally, cyanobacteria carry different pigments. ![]() The lake’s salinity has welcomed salt-consuming, halophilic microorganisms called cyanobacteria, which need photosynthesis to survive. Lake Natron’s deceptively glassy surface.
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