A Deadly Alkaline Lake in Africa Turns Animals into Calcified Statues
Lake Natron is a tectonic salt lake in northern Tanzania. It derives its name from the natron, a mineral dissolved in large quantities in its waters. Temperatures in the lake can rise to 140 °F (60 °C) and the alkalinity is between pH 9 and pH 10.5, almost as alkaline as ammonia. Animals who enter the water are almost certainly doomed, save certain kinds of fish that have evolved to survive in such a caustic environment.