The idea of a lake that instantly transforms into stone animals that touch it may sound like a concept from Greek mythology.
But it is a reality in Tanzania, where animals live in fear of one of the world’s deadliest lakes.
Lake Natron is an important breeding ground for less endangered flamingos, but the animals risk being frozen forever in the salt if they venture close to shore.
Bacteria that give the water its crimson color are among the only organisms that can tolerate the average 26°C heat, deadly salt concentration and alkalinity.
Bodies that fall into the water disintegrate quickly, while those that fall on it disintegrate quickly Edges are “coated with salt” that “lasts forever,” according to University of Leicester ecologist David Harper.
The idea of a lake that instantly transforms into stone animals that touch it may sound like a concept from Greek mythology. But it is a reality in Tanzania, where animals live in fear of one of the world’s deadliest lakes
Lake Natron is an important breeding ground for less endangered flamingos, but animals risk freezing forever in the salt if they venture near the shore
The lake’s hostile conditions can be attributed to the nearby Ol Doinyo Lengai – also known as the Mountain of God – the only active volcano that erupts soda ash.
This flows into the lake through stream channels that cut through the volcano, contributing to its raw alkalinity of over pH 10.
Only flamingos, feeding on the water’s nutrient-rich cyanobacteria, flock to the area to mate.
But even they cannot escape the brutal conditions of the salt lake and fall victim to the coastal vegetation.
In his book about the lake, Across the Ravaged Land, photographer Nick Brandt wrote: “Unexpectedly, I found the creatures—birds and bats of all kinds—washed up on the shores of Lake Natron.
“No one knows exactly how they die, but…the water has extremely high levels of soda and salt, so high it would wipe the ink off my Kodak film boxes in seconds.”
Corpses aside, Lake Natron has played a role in preserving history as far back as 19,000 years.
In 2016, geologists found more than 400 human footprints in the mudflats on the shores of Lake Natron.
Only flamingos, feeding on the water’s nutrient-rich cyanobacteria, flock to the area to mate
Lake Natron is located in the north of Tanzania, near the border with Kenya
“Immediately after the footprints were pressed into the wet mud and ash, the wet sediments dried up and hardened,” said geologist dr. Cynthia Luitkius-Pierce, Appalachian State University, previously told MailOnline.
It is believed that the mud that preserved these footprints was washed away by the Ol Doinyo Lengai when large amounts of ash were discovered.
It is then believed that the surface would have dried out in days or even hours and the prints would have been preserved.
She added: “They record traces of our ancestors, their activities and behavior during the last Pleistocene along the edge of Lake Natron in Tanzania.”
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
