He perches the birds on branches and poses the bats in order to make them look “alive.” With the help of locals, Brandt collected the best specimens and masterfully crafted chilling portraits of the fallen animals. Nature photographer Nick Brandt chose to turn this site into a fascinating art project. Scientists explain that the high salinity of the lake “freezes” the animals, perfectly preserving them with all of their wings and feathers in place. Long lines of dead birds and bats cover the shoreline, with each specimen preserved in a stonelike state. In addition, a peculiar site is found at the shores of the lake. Lake Natron can also reach a steamy state, with the water’s temperature recorded to reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The water in this lake only flows inward, so evaporation leaves behind hefty salt deposits. This causes the lake’s pH level to be a very basic 10.5 this pH level falls only a bit short of that of ammonia and bleach. The deposits of natron, a chemical salt, flow in from the surrounding hills. Lake Natron is a salt lake, meaning it is incredibly alkaline. Although often photographed for its location under sunlit clouds and for its serene backdrop, the lake is an abyss for almost all wildlife. Lake Natron sits along the East African Rift System in northern Tanzania, and is 35 miles long and about half as wide. For instance, in the East African nation of Tanzania lies the deadly Lake Natron. Nonetheless, the complexity of nature has created exceptions to this rule. Water itself stands as a symbol of life ancient Egypt thrived due to fertile soil that would have been absent had it not been for the Nile River. Lakes and rivers are often credited in many civilizations’ lengthy histories for providing a means of transportation and crucial food security. But what actually happens is that the corpses of animals which died in the lake are sometimes preserved by the sodium carbonate minerals and other salts that were used by the ancient Egyptians for mummification - calcifying their bodies.In nearly any social studies class, bodies of water are framed as life-giving and as focal points for the world’s nations. More than 2 million lesser flamingos use the lake as their primary breeding ground in Africa.īut when animals die and end up in the water, something odd happens: it looks like living animals turned to stone instantly on hitting the lake. Karumbaįlocks of flamingos, other birds and tilapia fish all call the lake their home. Lesser flamingoes flock to Lake Natron in their droves for breeding season Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. While it may be paradise for haloarchaea, many creatures can't survive in such alkaline waters – but animals whose bodies are adapted to such pH levels also inhabit the lake, meaning Lake Natron is far from barren. The reason for the lake’s colorful water is down to haloarchaea, microorganisams that flourish in its salty waters – the vermillion shade is even more stunning at the end of the dry season, when the water level is especially low. The stunning red color is caused by haloarchaea, microorganisms which love salty water Image: imago/Bluegreen Pictures/J.-C. The water comes from mineral hot springs and a river, but the lake doesn't drain out to any sea or river – evaporation is how the shallow lake loses water, which can reach as high as 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit). The lake actually takes its name from the naturally-occurring blend of chemicals it contains. This raises the lake's alkalinity to far above water's normal neutral pH of 7. Lake Natron's very alkaline water has a pH of around 10.5 - too high for many animals Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Mary Evans Picture Library/A. Ol Doinyo Lengai, an active volcano, lies not far from the lake. It owes its unusual chemistry to the surrounding volcanic geology: the minerals, particularly sodium carbonate, and salts created by volcanic processes flow into the lake from the surrounding hills. The lake's extremely alkaline water has a pH as high as 10.5, similar to milk of magnesia, a treatment used to neutralize stomach acid. But when coupled with the sight of dead animals seemingly turned to stone, the lake appears even more eerie. The scarlet waters of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania are eye-catching enough by themselves.
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