Creatures that unfortunately come into contact with the water of Lake Natron are hard to keep alive, but also become frozen statues.
No need to watch fiction movies, we can still witness with our own eyes the living statues "enchanted" by the deadly water in the lake of death Natron (Lake of Sodium Oxide) and also the works of art . The truest work of art about nature by a renowned photographer.
Lake Natron is a saltwater lake in the northern part of Tanzania, close to the Kenyan border. Lake Natron is one of the famous lakes with magical beauty with bright red color. However, this place is also better known as the "Lake of Death" . The reason the lake has such a deadly name is that for thousands of years, any animals that stumble into the lake, their bodies are petrified in a short time.
Nick Brandt is a famous East African photographer, known for his natural landscapes. During his trip to Tanzania, he had the opportunity to visit Lake Natron. According to photographer Nick Brandt, the lake water in Natron is not normal at all.
In fact, Lake Natron is a stagnant lake, the water can only evaporate without exchange with the outside. Lake water has a chemical called Natron - a mixture with the main ingredients being Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) and Sodium Carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ). This substance enters the lake through eroding material from the surrounding hills. Because it cannot escape, it keeps evaporating, so the water in the lake has a very high alkaline concentration.
With a pH of around 9 - 10.5 and water temperatures that can reach 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) , it is believed that Lake Natron is not an ideal home for animals to visit. Moreover, they can lose their lives at any time if they accidentally fall into the water.
The "culprit" of this strange phenomenon at Lake Natron is a million-year-old volcano , called Ol Doinyo Lengai , located south of Lake Natron. Lava flows down from the mountain carrying a special amount of mineral salts. The carcasses of the animals that fell into the lake were very well preserved, which were encased in layers of salt cement.
According to research, the chemical combination of chemicals in the lake water is the cause of petrifying creatures such as birds, bats...
According to information from Young Scientist, photographer Brandt picked up these "living statues" around the lake. After collecting them, he placed them on a tree branch to set the scene for his artworks. With an artistic eye, the talented photographer has revived lifeless corpses.
Only flamingos, which feed on nutrient-rich cyanobacteria in the water, flock to this area to mate. However, even they cannot escape the harsh conditions of the lake, falling victim to being encased in salt cement.
A "petrified" flamingo in Lake Natron. (Photo: Nick Brandt).
"I found many creatures like birds and bats washed up along the shores of Lake Natron. No one knows exactly how they died, but the composition of soda and salt in the lake was so high, it stripped the ink from the container. My Kodak movie in seconds," photographer Nick Brandt shares in his book about the lake.
In addition to animal carcasses, Lake Natron has a history of 19,000 years. Immediately after the footprints were imprinted on the wet mud and ash, the sediment dried and hardened, said Dr Cynthia Luitkius-Pierce, a geologist at the Appalachian University. The layer of mud that preserved the footprint is believed to have drifted down from the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano along with a large amount of ash. The surface dries over several days, even hours, preserving the footprint. The mud holds traces of human ancestors, their activities and behavior during the Pleistocene along the shores of Lake Natron.
Now, try to ask a question: What will happen if we accidentally fall into this "death" lake?
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