It appears to contain a stable ecosystem consisting of a population of flamingos, at least one species of fish, and algae. ( Uryadnikov Sergey / Adobe)ĭespite this hostile environment, the lake is not lifeless. Lake Natron – Panorama - Aerial view - Tanzania. The waters can also reach temperatures as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

It can very easily chemically burn animals not adapted to the sodium carbonate-rich conditions. The alkalinity of the lake is what gives the body of water its unusual properties. The natron content in the lake has given it a pH level of about 10.5 which is comparable to that of ammonia.

The substance enters the lake through material eroding from the surrounding hills. The nature of the lake comes from a chemical called natron which is a mixture of sodium carbonate and baking soda. Lake Natron is a salt lake, meaning that it has no outlet for the water to exit the lake other than evaporation. When the birds wash up onto the shore, their lifeless bodies appear to have been turned to stone. Its shores are littered with the corpses of birds who perished by crashing into the lake. The water is so caustic that it can burn the skin and eyes of unprepared creatures. In a remote part of northern Tanzania in Africa there is a mysterious lake.

Lake natron stone animals