Together, they can combine to create sodium chloride or salt. Lake Natron has high levels of sodium and chlorine. To make matters even worse, you’d start feeling very thirsty. The color varies from orange to red, to pink and is produced by the bacterias and other microorganisms. And while your stomach is burning, the cyanobacteria contaminating the water would make you feel nauseous and could give you diarrhea. A very shallow salt lake is very dangerous for those, who are not adjusted: the temperature can reach 60C and its ph level is 10 However, its rare red color makes Lake Natron a very unique and beautiful destination, which can be compared only to Laguna Colorada found in Bolivia. And, if you drank enough of this water, the alkaline liquid could burn a hole in your stomach. Your insides would feel like they were on fire. Lake Natron is home to a variety of fauna, the most notable of which is the lesser flamingos. The corrosive water would continue burning your mouth, esophagus and stomach. WHY IS LAKE NATRON SUCH A DANGEROUS PLACE It isnt, in fact. Let’s not allow the ring of salt marshes along the edge of Lake Natron fool us. The lake is flooded with underground water that can be as hot as 60 ☌ (140 ☏).īut this would be nothing compared to the chemical burns you’d experience next. This lake is better known as one of the most inhospitable areas on Earth. While this lake remains deadly to most, it is still a vital ecosystem. But if you ignore my warning and take a sip, what would happen as this dangerous water travels through your body? Right away, you’d burn your lips and tongue. The proposed construction of a hydroelectric plant on the Ewaso Ng’iro River and a soda ash plant on its shores threatens the lake’s salinity and the flamingos. They’re one of the few animals that thrive in Lake Natron’s toxic environment. Their colorful plumage comes from a pigment in the algae that contaminates the water. Lake Natron: The Dangerous, Beautiful and Dying Lake By Anurag / Nature / Janu/ 6 minutes of reading Lake Natron in Tanzania is one of Africa’s most tranquil lakes, but it’s also home to some of the most bizarre pictures ever taken images that appear to show living animals turning to stone. This is a harsh, wild and fascinating region.Too much toxic algae? They don’t mind. Young children herd goats, elders in bright red togas sit under acacias and the morani (warriors) watch guard, spears in their hands, intricate beading around their necks and ocher in their hair. I Survived Africa's Deadliest Lake is a video about me visiting Lake Natron which is an Acidic Lake in Tanzania, East Africa.
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The wildlife lives side by side with the Maasai and scattered throughout the surrounding plains are numerous Maasai manyattas (villages), crooked sticks and cracked clay houses arranged around cattle kraals under the hot sun. Natron is also the only known breeding ground for East Africa's millions of lesser flamingos which cover the lake between August and October. There is good game viewing and birding in this harsh landscape with dry country species such as gerenuk, lesser kudu and oryx a speciality. Lying in a beautifully scenic area below the Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Natron has such a high concentration of sodium, that the water is often viscous to the touch.
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Further north still is the spectacular soda lake of Natron. The alkaline water in Lake Natron has a pH as high as 10.5 and is so caustic it can burn the skin and eyes of animals that arent adapted to it. There are rugged mountains where vultures soar and baboon bark, dusty gorges where the Maasai bring their cattle to drink and endless grassy plains. North of the Ngorongoro Crater, and far from the beaten track, you will find the Maasai's Mountain of God - Ol Doinyo L'Engai.Īn active carbonate volcano, it is a focal point for the Maasai, whose land stretches out for hundreds of miles from it.