NBC News said the lake's extreme conditions has driven away larger predators and has actually made it a peaceful mating place for flamingos, as long as they don't get tempted to go after the tilapia in the water. But those that do live in enormous densities because there is no competition. There are very few species that can live there, said David Harper, a freshwater science researcher at the University of Leicester. Lake Natron: Where Animals Turn Into Petrified Mummies By Clyde Hughes Thursday, 03 October 2013 12:10 PM EDT Print A A His discovery of thousands of petrified animals along the shoreline of deadly Lake Natron in Tanzania has become an eerie series of images for wildlife photographer Nick Brandt. The leg was artificially mummified using a synthetic natron mix and. Ancient Egyptians used natron extensively for their mummification rituals. With its caustic waters (pH 10.5 or so), Lake Natron preserves the bodies of the. Another identifier for it is that it is situated in the Gregory Rift which is itself part of the Eastern arm of the East African Rift caused by tectonic plate movement. It is found more specifically, in the Ngorongoro District of the Arusha Region in Tanzania. The lake, which sits near the Tanzania-Kenya border, is fed by Ewaso Ngiro River, according to .Įditor's Note: Do You Support Obamacare? Vote in Urgent National Poll An experimental mummification model following ancient Egyptian methods was created. You won't find human bodies in Lake Natron in Tanzania, but this tranquil lake is eerie nonetheless. Lake Natron is an alkaline saltwater lake found in Tanzania. "No one knows for certain exactly how they die, but it appears that the extreme reflective nature of the lake's surface confuses them, and like birds crashing into plate glass windows, they crash into the lake." "I could not help but photograph them," Brandt told. Because of the volcano, the lake temperature hovers about 80 degrees. reported that the alkaline tilapia, an extremophile fish that adapts to the harsh conditions, is the only animal that lives in the lake. The murky substance captures animals landing in the lake and mummify them "like they’ve been dropped in a bucket of cement," Brandt told NBC News. Mattson said the volcano is the only one in the world that releases "natrocarbonatites," an ashy runoff collected by rainwater that flows into the lake. Hannes Mattson, of the Swiss Institute of Technology, told NBC News at the Ol Doinyo Legai volcano just south of Lake Natron is the reason the waterway is so deadly and unique. "I took these creatures as I found them on the shoreline, and then placed them in 'living' positions, bringing them back to 'life.'" "I unexpectedly found the creatures - all manner of birds and bats - washed up along the shoreline of Lake Natron in Northern Tanzania," Brandt told NBC News via email. Brandt told NBC that the lake has created thousands of well-preserved carcasses.Įditor's Note: ObamaCare Is Here. Lake Natron is home to 1.5-2 million flamingos during mating season, an astounding 75 of Earths entire population. The photos of animals encased in stone have found their way online, as well, NBC News reported. The presence of huge volumes of sodium bicarbonate ensures they turn into mummies. Even from space, you can see the red water, the water can get piping hot, as hot as 60 degrees Celsius.His discovery of thousands of petrified animals along the shoreline of deadly Lake Natron in Tanzania has become an eerie series of images for wildlife photographer Nick Brandt.īrandt's photographs are featured in a new exhibit at the Hasted Kraeutler Gallery in New York City, according to NBC News, and will be published in a photo anthology by Abrams Books. Lake Natron: The Dangerous Tanzania Lake That Turns Animals That Died. The algae that grow in Lake Natron's hypersaline environment causes the water to occasionally turn red (or orange-red). This water will damage the internal organs of any animal that drinks it. Large salt, soda, and magnesite deposits can be found in Lake Natron. Both are terminal lakes because they do not drain into any river or sea but are fed by rivers and hot springs. Lake Natron and Lake Bahi are the two alkaline lakes in East Africa. The lake is the largest breeding site for flamingos, the bacteria in the lake that kills most birds does not affect flamingos. In and around the lake, there are many dead animals and birds.Įven though rain falls on Lake Natron, a large portion of that is "phantom rain"- it evaporates before it reaches the surface. It is poisonous to most animals because of this. Lake Natron is a salt or alkaline lake on the northern border of Tanzania. It is extraordinary not only because it occasionally turns red, but also because the adjacent volcano has made it extremely caustic (alkaline). Lake Natron is sometimes referred to as Tanzania's beautiful but deadly red lake. Just over 100 kilometres northwest of the town of Arusha, in northern Tanzania, is Lake Natron.
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