The saltiest sea is the lake where it is located. Salt lakes of Russia
There are several contenders for the title of the saltiest sea in the world. The fact is that the salinity level of each of the reservoirs varies from year to year, depending on precipitation and other factors. climatic features. In this article we will talk about the most salty lakes in the world.
The Dead Sea
Despite the name, this is a lake, because other bodies of water do not flow into it. It is located on the border of Jordan and Israel. Its area is small, only 810 square kilometers.
This is the most amazing waterfall in the world, producing a lasting impression on tourists. This popular resort and a hospital. The water is so salty that it is impossible to drown in it even if you cannot swim.
The concentration of salts in the Dead Sea is 30-40% (depending on the time of year and geographical region), and in the Mediterranean Sea 3-4%.
The waters of the Dead Sea have a beneficial effect on human health. For nature, lake waters are really “dead”: there are no fish, algae and phytoplankton do not grow here.
Located in the center of Djibouti and is the lowest point in Africa. In terms of salinity, Assal is not inferior to the Dead Sea, but it is not so familiar to tourists.
Its coast is surrounded by highly saline soil, from which salt is then mined.
Lake Elton
Most salt Lake Russia is located in the Volgograd region near the border with Kazakhstan. Unusual name lake comes from the Mongolian "Altyn-nor", translated as "gold mine". Salinity level - 20-50%. This is the saltiest and most big lake Europe.
Its depth in summer is only 7 cm in summer and one and a half meters in spring.
Until the end of the century before last, salt was mined in its waters. At the beginning of the 20th century, a sanatorium and balneological resort of the same name was opened.
Lake Don Juan
Located in Antarctica on Victoria Land in the Wright Valley. Its salinity is 40%. It is it that claims to be the most salty lake on Earth.
The lake is named after the helicopter pilots who discovered it: Don Roe and John Hickey, and not after the great seducer. The reason for its incredible salinity lies in the high salt content in the sedimentary rocks and glaciers that feed the lake. Because of this, Lake Don Juan does not freeze even in winter.
Everyone knows about the unique properties of the Dead Sea. But in Russia there are many salt lakes, the chemical composition of which is similar to the Dead Sea, and has a healing effect on the human body.
Our ancestors endowed salt with special qualities. It was believed that it has energy that affects human health. The location of the salt lakes was also not accidental. They were formed in those places where there was a special, not typical of the usual places, natural atmosphere.
They say that the development of salt lakes in Russia was started by Emperor Alexander III. According to legend, having got into a railway accident, he managed to improve his health thanks to salt water from the Orenburg region. Thus the first appeared salt resort in Sol-Iletsk. And at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the active development of new healing lakes throughout Russia.
Elton
The lake is located in the Volgograd region near the border with Kazakhstan. It is considered one of the largest mineral reservoirs in Europe. Migratory birds love to stop on its banks.
Elton is called the "golden lake". This is due special kind red algae that cover its bottom. The area of the lake is 152 km, but the depth during the most full-flowing period is only 1.5 m. In summer, the lake dries up to 7 cm. It is fed by seven rivers and salty underwater springs. The mineralization of Elton is almost twice as high as that of the Dead Sea.
The lake is located in a continental climate with hot summers and moderately cold winters. The winds here do not subside all year round. A sanatorium of the same name was built a few kilometers from Elton, whose vacationers are brought to the lake to take mud baths.
Bulukhta
Another salt lake in the Volgograd region. It occupies an area of 77 km. In fact, it resembles a swamp with a constantly changing coastline. This is a lake of "wild" nature, which can be reached only along the steppe impassability. The nearest "civilization" is located thirty kilometers from the reservoir.
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An artificial lake in the Orenburg region near Sol-Iletsk. Once upon a time, salt was mined here from the Tuztube mountain. A hundred years ago, the quarry was filled with water.
The area of the lake is 0.068 km, and the depth is 18-22 m. With a salt concentration of 200 g / liter, no microorganisms survive in the reservoir. In autumn, when the lake "dries up" a little, the salt concentration increases to 330 g/liter.
An interesting fact: the reservoir does not freeze even in severe frosts. Up to 3 meters, it warms up well in the summer heat, but at depths of more than 3 m, minus water temperatures always remain.
vats
To be in Novosibirsk region and has an area of 1400 to 2000 km. Formed naturally over 10,000 years ago. Despite the shallow depth (up to 7m), shipping is developed here. In bad weather, the lake is formed big waves capable of damaging boats.
Chany is located in a continental climate. In winter it freezes and is covered with snow. In summer, the water temperature warms up to +28 C.
It does not represent a special medicinal value, despite the salt content in the water. The lake is of industrial importance: more than 16 species of fish are caught and bred here.
Baskunchak
located in Astrakhan region. Mineralization of water is 300 g/liter. Because of this feature, even the thinnest and lightest plate cannot sink to the bottom of the lake. It has highly mineralized therapeutic mud, which is used in the treatment of many diseases of the digestive system, musculoskeletal system, nervous system, skin, reproductive organs and respiratory system.
The area of the lake is 106 km, the greatest depth is 3 m. On its shores there is a medical sanatorium of the same name. The "beach" season lasts from June to August. The air near the lake is saturated with vapors of bromine and phytoncides.
There are many wonders in the world, and one of them is salt lakes. In general, it is more correct to call them mineral, since the mineralization of water is taken as the basis. If the well-known sodium chloride is found in one thousandth of the water in the lake, then it immediately ceases to be freshwater and becomes salty. Most often, salt lakes are located in arid areas and do not have drains (they are drainless water bodies that are not connected to the World Ocean through river systems).
In Russia
Caspian Sea. Perhaps the Caspian Sea is the most famous unusual salt lake in the world. By the size of its water area, this body of water belongs more to the category of seas (its length is 371,000 km²), however, by its nature and nature, it is still a lake. The Caspian Sea is a unique natural healing complex, rich in mineral springs and beneficial mud. It also produces oil and gas, the transportation of which, however, leads to water pollution.
Aral Sea. This sea-lake is considered to be “former” today, as it became quite shallow as a result of pumping water from the rivers that feed it. Now the reservoir consists of two separate salt lakes - the Southern Aral and the Northern Aral.
Elton. Elton is considered the largest salt lake in Europe. It is also one of the most mineralized in the world. Until the end of the 19th century, table salt was mined here, now Elton is a popular balneological resort.
Baskunchak. At one time, Baskunchak was dubbed the main "salt mill" of Russia, since it was from its depths that about 80% of salt throughout the country was mined and mined (from 1.5 to 5 million tons of salt per year). In addition to salt, Baskunchak is rich in deposits of therapeutic clays, which attract tourists both from other regions of Russia and from abroad.
In the world
Dead Sea (Israel). This salt lake is known worldwide for its healing properties. Millions of tourists annually visit the shores of the Dead Sea to improve the body and restore strength. If we compare this reservoir with other parts of the globe, then the atmospheric pressure here is the highest. At the same time, the oxygen content in the air is 15% higher than in the entire Mediterranean. Thanks to these features, the effect of a natural pressure chamber is created.
Great Salt Lake (USA). The Great Salt Lake is considered the largest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere. From the point of view of treatment and tourism, this reservoir is not of particular interest, but in the industrial sector, its resources are used quite actively. Salt and Glauber's salt are mined here.
Uyuni (Bolivia). Uyuni is a dry salt lake, which today is the largest salt marsh in the world (occupies an area of 10,588 km²). The inner part of this desert is covered with a layer of common salt 2-8 m thick. During the rainy season, the salt marsh is covered with a thin layer of water and turns into the world's largest mirror surface. According to scientists, the salt reserve of Uyuni is 10 billion tons.
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There are several contenders for the title of the saltiest lake in the world. Let's take a closer look at these lakes, because each of them is unique in its own way.
1. Dead Sea
Perhaps the most famous contender. Although it is called the sea, in fact it is a lake, since it is endorheic, that is, it does not have access to the ocean.
The Dead Sea is located on the border between Israel and Jordan. It is quite small in size: 76 kilometers long and 18 kilometers wide. Its area is 810 km 2, and its depth is about 370 m, and it is constantly decreasing. Only one large river, the Jordan, flows into the Dead Sea, as well as several small rivers and streams. For centuries, the Jordan has been bringing its waters here, which evaporate intensively - the temperature here rarely drops below 40 ° C - and the salts remain and accumulate. In addition to the waters of the Jordan River, the Dead Sea feeds a large number of mineral springs that gush on its southern coast. As a result, the concentration of salts in the Dead Sea is, on average, 28%, and in some places reaches 33%. For comparison, the concentration of salts in the World Ocean is about 3-4%. Most fresh water("only" 24%) in the north of the Dead Sea - where the Jordan River flows into it. The further south, the saltier the water in the lake. At the southernmost tip, even salt pillars are formed from the drying supersaturated salt solution. One of them resembles in its outlines a female figure in a cloak and is called "Lot's wife". This name is closely connected with the biblical legend, according to which God decided to punish the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, located in the Dead Sea region, because these cities were mired in debauchery. God warned the righteous Lot about this, ordering him to leave the city on the eve of its destruction, without stopping anywhere and without turning around. But the wife of the righteous, breaking the prohibition of the Lord, looked back, leaving, at her native walls, for which she was punished, turning into a pillar of salt).
Pillar of salt "Lot's wife"
The waters of the Dead Sea are actually dead, as its name says: there are no fish here, no algae grow; its shores are also lifeless. Even the surface of this lake does not resemble water - it is a thick, oily-looking liquid with a metallic sheen and yellowish-white flakes of salt in small places. However, it is not completely "dead": various salt-loving bacteria and even fungi live in its waters.
The Dead Sea
Due to such a high concentration of salts, it is impossible to drown in the Dead Sea. It is also impossible to swim or dive - a person can only swing on the surface of the Dead Sea water, like a float. You can safely stretch out with a book on the surface of this unique lake- thick dense brine will not let you drown. However, it corrodes the skin, and the slightest scratch, when this brine gets on it, begins to hurt. Therefore, swimming in the Dead Sea is the lot of exotic lovers or those who do it according to the doctor's prescription - the healing properties of these waters, as well as the Dead Sea mud, rich in bromine, potassium, sodium and iodine, have been known since the time of the biblical King Herod. Dead Sea water is good for treating skin and other diseases.
You can't drown in the Dead Sea
The coast of the Dead Sea is the lowest place on the land of our planet and lies 400 meters below the level of the oceans.
2. Lake Don Juan
On the glacial continent of Antarctica, in the Wright Valley on the land of Victoria, another lake has been discovered that claims to be the palm for its salinity.
Location of Lake Don Juan
It was named not at all in honor of the famous womanizer, as it might seem at first glance, but in honor of the people who discovered it in 1961 - these were helicopter pilots Don Ro and John Hickey. It is quite small. Back in 1998, it was no more than 100 m deep, its length and width were 1 and 0.4 km, respectively. At the moment, the depth of the reservoir does not exceed 10 cm, and its size is 300 meters long and 100 meters wide. Water evaporates very quickly, but the lake does not dry up completely, thanks to underwater waters. Actually, this lake is a place where groundwater (underground) water comes out.
Lake Don Juan - view from space
The reason for the incredible salinity of the lake, as scientists suggest, is the high salt content in sedimentary rocks through which melt water from springs passes, feeding the lake. The air in the valley is extremely dry, and in such conditions the water evaporates strongly.
Lake Don Juan
Another reason for the interest of scientists in the lake is the possible similarity of conditions in its vicinity with the surface of Mars. It is believed that there are many lakes on Mars similar to Don Juan.
3. Lake Elton
Lake Elton (the name probably comes from the Mongolian "Altyn-Nor" - a gold mine) is located in Russia, in the Volgograd region, not far from the border with Kazakhstan. This is the largest mineral lake in Europe (152 km 2). The depth of it amazing lake is only 5-7 cm in summer and up to 1.5 m in spring.
Lake Elton
The mineralization of Elton waters reaches 200-500 g/l, which is one and a half times more than that of the Dead Sea. Until 1882, salt was mined here. In 1910, a sanatorium was built on the shores of Lake Elton. Since 2001, Lake Elton has been a part of natural park"Elton".
The shape of the lake is almost round. It is located in a depression between large salt domes and has no runoff. It is fed by 7 rivers, and there are exits at the bottom salt springs. The climate in the Elton region is arid, with frequent strong winds. The level of Lake Elton is 15 m below sea level.
View of Lake Elton from space
The waters of Lake Elton have a reddish tint, which is given to it by bacteria of the species Dunaliella salina.
4. Lake Baskunchak
Lake Baskunchak is located near Lake Elton - in the Akhtubinsky district of the Astrakhan region (Russia).
Lakes Elton and Baskunchak ( Google map)
Its salinity reaches 37% (370 g/l). This unique reservoir with an area of 100 km 2 is a depression on the top of a salt mountain, leaving its base thousands of meters deep into the earth and covered by a layer of sedimentary rocks.
Lake Baskunchak
The lake is fed mainly by springs. Baskunchak's salts are unusually pure (99.8%), "like ice", sodium chloride NaCl - table salt. That is why 80% of all salt in the world is mined here. Russian Federation, for which he was nicknamed the "All-Russian salt shaker." Salt mining began here in the 8th century. The depth of salt in the lake reaches 6 km, and numerous springs flowing into it daily replenish its supply by more than 2.5 thousand tons, so that the salt reserves here are practically inexhaustible.
In some places of Lake Baskunchak, special
wooden stumps - salt crystallization points.
Photo of Lake Baskunchak
Almost the entire surface of the lake is covered with salt, and you can walk on it.
The air near Lake Baskunchak with a high content of bromine and phytoncides, as well as its + silt mud, have a healing effect, which guests of the local sanatorium-preventorium "Baskunchak", located on the shore of the lake, can appreciate.
Swimming in Baskunchak lake
Terrestrial reservoirs arose for various reasons. Their creators are water, wind, glaciers, tectonic forces. The water washed out the hollow on the surface of the earth, the wind blew out a depression, plowed and polished the glacier depression, the mountain landslide dammed the river valley - and the bed of the future reservoir is ready. The depressions will be filled with water - a lake will appear.
The lakes of the globe are divided into two large groups - fresh and salt water. If less than one gram of salts is dissolved in one liter of water, the water is considered fresh, if there are more salts, then salty.
The lakes have the most varied salinity - from fractions of a gram to several tens and hundreds of grams per liter of water. There are, for example, reservoirs in which the water is so saturated with salts that it surpasses the ocean in this respect (35 grams of salts per liter of water); such lakes are called mineral. It all depends on what kind of tribute the rivers bring to them. If the climate is humid and the rivers are full of water, then the rocks in the catchment area are well washed, and therefore the river and lake waters are poorly mineralized.
In a drier climate, where precipitation is scarce and rivers are shallow, their waters contain significantly more salts. Therefore, in the deserts, salt (mineral) lakes are the most widespread. A vivid example of this is Central Kazakhstan, where there are few freshwater lakes, and salty ones are found almost at every step. And yet among the greatest lakes The world is dominated by fresh water.
They are flowing, water does not stagnate in them, salts brought by rivers are discharged into the ocean or sea. And it is worth making such a reservoir drainless - and after some time it will become salty. Take, for example, the Caspian Sea. This huge body of water became largely saline because it had no outlet to the ocean. There were many similar cases on Earth.
The most saline lakes on our planet can be considered lakes in which the salt content per liter of water is more than 25 grams. Such lakes, in addition to Lake Tuz in Turkey, include Lake Eyre in Australia, the Dead Sea on the Arabian Peninsula, Molla-Kara in Turkmenistan, Lake Dus-Khol in Tuva and others.
In the center of Turkey, south of Ankara, at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level, there is a lake on which you can walk on foot in summer. This drainless lake The ace has a length of 80 kilometers, a width of about forty-five kilometers and an average depth of two meters. It is not only small, but also very salty - up to three hundred and twenty-two kilograms of salt per ton of water. In spring, due to winter and spring precipitation, the lake overflows and increases almost seven times, occupying a huge area of 25,000 square kilometers. In the summer, when the water evaporates, the lake becomes very small, and a dense crust of salt forms on its surface from several centimeters to two meters thick.
The Dead Sea is the deepest and saltiest of the salt lakes. Its greatest depth is over 400 meters, and it is located 395 meters below the level of the oceans. in one liter waters of the dead sea it contains 437 grams of salt.
Some of the lakes are brackish-fresh. The most amazing of them is Lake Balkhash. Its western part is fresh, and the eastern part is brackish. The reason for this peculiarity lies in the fact that the Ili River flows into the western part of the lake, and the eastern part lies surrounded by deserts, where water evaporates very strongly. Therefore, on geographical maps the western part of Balkhash is shown in blue, and the eastern part is shown in lilac.
The huge Lake Chad, located on the outskirts of the Sahara, is fresh on top and brackish at the bottom. Fresh river and rain water, falling into the lake, does not mix with brackish water, but rather floats on it. Freshwater fish live in the upper layer, and marine fish that got into the lake in ancient times stay at the bottom.
The lake is very shallow (from 2 to 4 meters deep). Its shores are flat and swampy, and from the north the desert comes close to them. The hot sun dried up all the northern and eastern tributaries of Chad, turning them into waterless channels - wadis. And only the Shari and Lagoni rivers flowing into it from the south feed the "Sahara Sea" with their waters. For a long time, Lake Chad, or Ngi-Bul, as the locals call it, was considered drainless, which was its main mystery. Usually in large, shallow and endorheic lakes on Earth, the water is completely salty, and the upper layer of Lake Chad is fresh. The riddle turned out to be simple.
Approximately 900 kilometers northeast of Chad is the vast Bodele Basin, lying approximately 80 meters below lake level. A water stream hidden under the ground stretched to it from the lake. So, through underground runoff, Lake Chad slowly but constantly renews its waters, preventing them from becoming salty.
Even more surprising is Lake Mogilnoe. It is located on the island of Kildin, not far from the northern coast Kola Peninsula, and has a depth of 17 meters. The lake consists, as it were, of several layers - "floors". The first "floor" at the bottom of the lake, almost lifeless, consists of liquid silt and is saturated with hydrogen sulfide. The second "floor" stands out in cherry color - this color is given to it by purple bacteria. They are, as it were, a filter that traps hydrogen sulfide rising from the bottom. The "third" floor is a "piece of the sea", hidden in the depths of the lake. This is the usual sea water, and its salinity here is the same as in the sea. This layer is filled with life, jellyfish, crustaceans, stars, sea anemones, sea bass, cod live here. Only they look much smaller than their counterparts at sea. The fourth "floor" is intermediate: the water in it is no longer sea, but not fresh either, but slightly brackish. The fifth "floor" is a six-meter layer of pure spring water suitable for drinking. Animal world here common for freshwater lakes.
The unusual structure is explained by the history of the lake. It is very ancient and was formed on the site of the sea bay. Mogilnoye Lake is separated from the sea only by a small bridge. At high tide, sea water seeps through it in the place where the "marine" layer is located. And the distribution of water in the lake by layers is due to the fact that salt water, as heavier, is at the bottom, and lighter fresh water is at the top. That's why they don't mix. Oxygen does not enter the depths of the lake, and the bottom becomes contaminated with hydrogen sulfide.
An unusual lake called Drutso is located in Tibet. locals consider it magical. Every 12 years, the water in the lake changes: it becomes either fresh or salty.
