Bizarre lake in Tanzania instantly turns animals who touch it into ‘STONE’

The idea of ​​a lake that instantly turns to stone animals that touch it might sound like a concept from Greek mythology.

But it’s a reality in Tanzania, where animals live in fear of one of the world’s deadliest lakes.

Lake Natron is an important mating site for less endangered flamingos, but animals risk being frozen forever in its salt if they venture near its shores.

Bacteria, which give the water its blood-red hue, are some of the only organisms that can tolerate the average 26°C (78°F) heat, lethal concentration of salt, and alkalinity.

Bodies that fall into the water quickly decompose, while those that fall on it Rand are “encrusted in salt” that “stays forever,” according to University of Leicester ecologist David Harper.

The lake’s hostile conditions can be attributed to nearby Ol Doinyo Lengai – also known as the Mountain of God – which is the only active volcano erupting natrocarbonatites.

These feed the lake through creek channels that cut through the volcano and contribute to its harsh alkalinity of over pH 10.

Only flamingos, which feed on the nutrient-rich cyanobacteria in the water, flock to the area to mate.

But even they cannot escape the unforgiving conditions of the salt lake and fall victim to the encrustation on the shore.

In his book about the lake, Across the Ravaged Land, photographer Nick Brandt explained: “I unexpectedly found the creatures – all kinds of birds and bats – washed up on the shore of Lake Natron.

“Nobody knows exactly how they die, but…the water has extremely high levels of soda and salt, so high it would strip the ink from my Kodak film boxes in a matter of seconds.”

Aside from corpses, Lake Natron has played a role in preserving history for 19,000 years.

In 2016, geologists found more than 400 human footprints in the mud flats on the shores of Lake Natron.

“Immediately after the footprints were pressed into the wet mud and ash, the wet sediments dried up and hardened,” said Dr. Appalachian State University geologist Cynthia Luitkius-Pierce told MailOnline.

It is believed that the mud that preserved these footprints was washed down by the Ol Doinyo Lengai as large amounts of ash were discovered.

Then it is believed that in days or even hours the surface would have dried out and the imprints 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.”