Tuesday, November 2, 2021

The Lake That Turns Animals into Stone

 It’s common knowledge that there are many lakes in existence around the world, with each one containing different properties. However, one wouldn’t think that among all those is a lake which carries characteristics unseen anywhere else. Indeed, such a lake does exist in Tanzania, and it is called lake natron because of its overwhelming concentration of the chemical natron, a mix of sodium carbonate and baking soda.          

The haunting lake natron is a salt Lake located in northern Tanzania. A salt lake is a lake in which the water manages to flow in but cannot flow out, with the only escape being through evaporation. As the water evaporates what’s left behind is a high concentration of salt and other minerals, resulting in a pH that has been observed to be as high as 10.5 in some areas. Few animals can call lake natron their home as can be expected from harsh waters that can reach up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. These animals include one species of fish, algae and flamingoes that feed on the algae. Other similar salt lakes such as the dead sea and the salt lake in Utah share some common characteristics with lake natron, but unlike all those lake natron is alkaline meaning the carbonate salts within it are able to calcify and preserve certain birds and other animals that end up in the body of water. Photographer Nick Brandt proposed a theory as to why some migratory birds end up in the chemically rich waters in which he claimed that the highly reflective properties of the water create an illusion that causes birds and in one instance a helicopter to crash into the lake. As Brandt worked with locals to collect certain specimens during dry season, he was shocked at the abundance of preserved animals claiming, “You’d, literally get, say, a hundred finches washed ashore in a 50-yards stretch” (1). 


Lake natron definitely stands out from all other lakes with its chemical rich composition, high pH and temperature, and illusion creating abilities. However, despite this some species were able to adapt to the harsh conditions and thrive in such a hostile environment. 

 

Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-alkaline-african-lake-turns-animals-into-stone-445359/

 

Posted by: David Miropolsky (5)

 

 

10 comments:

  1. Hello David,
    I’ve never heard about this lake making it so much more fascinating. When you talk about the preservation of animals does it literally form a calcium case around their body causing them to look like stone?
    -Jackelyn Raymundo Santizo

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    1. Thanks for your comment! To answer your question, yes the deposits of sodium carbonate are able to preserve animals. Sodium carbonate was actually used in mummification during the egyptian.

      -David Miropolsky

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  2. I've never heard of this before! It's very odd that some birds become calcified when coming in contact with this lake, while others, like flamingos, are able to survive off of the contents of it! Is there a reason flamingos are able to survive off of the algae in the lake, and do not calcify when they come in contact with it?

    -Emma Alderman-Shapiro

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    1. Thanks for your comment Emma! To answer your question, birds like flamingos have tough skin around their legs in order to prevent burns from the caustic water.

      -David Miropolsky

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  3. Hello David,
    This is crazy interesting, I had never heard of this before! It's so interesting that some of the animals who live there can survive in those insane conditions while other species are turned to stone. Like the comment above how is it that some species can survive there but others cant? Does it have to do with some kind of phenotypic plasticity?

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    1. After living in these conditions for generations, with a heavy reliance on algae growing in the water flamingoes evolved to have incredibly tough skin around their legs which prevents burns from the water of lake natron.

      - David Miropolsky

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  4. It's so cool that a species of flamingos live in lake natron. I wonder what the properties of their skin are for them to be able to withstand such a highly basic environment? From an evolutionary standpoint its an amazing adaption to be able to withstand lake natron's waters considering the few other species that there is there to compete with.
    - Declan Downing

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  5. I've heard of salt lakes before, but nothing close to lake natron. It's scary to think that something as natural as a lake, could turn small animals into stone. I also found it interesting that there are some organisms that have adapted to this environment, I wonder what in their genome allowed them to adapt to these conditions, when the majority of the species on earth would be turned to stone.
    -Brianna Bailey

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  6. Hi, this is the first time I have heard of this lake. It is surprising that certain species were able to adapt to such harsh conditions.
    - Tugba Kahveci

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  7. This is a very interesting post. It's very interesting that this lake has such harsh conditions and some species have adapted to survive in it. I wonder what caused such high amounts of natron?

    -Zach Conant

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