Thread by @DavidZabinsky

For some, it's called Lake Natron.

For others, it's called 'The Lake That Turns Animals Into Stone'.

And for this flamingo that tried swimming across the 12-by-30 mile Tanzanian lake, 'turn into stone' is exactly what happened.

A thread on the most dangerous lake in the world:

The 400 sq mi / 1,400 sq km Lake Natron looks more like it belongs on Mars than it does in Tanzania.

So where does its deep red color come from?

In short, a ridiculous amount of salt derived from magmatic limestone, which came from the eruptions of a 1-million-year-old volcano.

With a pH level as high as 10.5, swimming in Lake Natron would be like swimming in ammonia.

But aside from being absurdly alkaline, Lake Natron is also absurdly hot.

Its temperature can reach as high as 140°F/60°C

For context, most lakes during the summer months are ~60°F/15°C

And as the hot, highly-alkaline lake collects ashy runoff, it should come as no surprise:

The animals that tragically fall inside Lake Natron end up looking as if they “were dropped in a bucket of cement.”

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

But despite Lake Natron being so, well….deadly, it has become a peaceful mating spot for one interesting species:

Flamingos.

The now endangered ‘Lesser Flamingo’ lives and breeds on the lake’s shallow edge...only to be all-too-careful not to go in too, too deep.

So now for the million dollar question:

'If flamingos can handle Lake Natron, can we?'

Well, at cooler temperatures, we'd be okay...for short periods of time.

But for Nick Brandt, the photographer who saw the death at Lake Natron with his own eyes?

“It’d be complete madness.”

Learn something new today?

Follow @DavidZabinsky for more informative threads on the interesting people and places of our world.

Sources:

The talented (gutsy) photographer @NickBrandtPhoto

nbcnews.com/sciencemain/bi…

smithsonianmag.com/science-nature…