Tanzanian Lake That Turns Animals to Stone

Lake Natron located in the northern part of Tanzania is a beautiful yet deadly place that turns animals to stone (smithsonianmag)

This is not due to any mysterious spell. It is simply because of the salt and high alkaline pH in the water.

The water’s pH has been measured as high as 10.5 - nearly as high as ammonia( a colourless inorganic gas that is irritating to the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs).

The presence of these elements causes calcification (the accumulation of calcium salts in body tissue) to occur whenever animals touch the water and their bodies turn to stone.

However, a few creatures do manage to survive these harsh waters.

These animals include a single fish species (Alcolapia latilabris), some algae and a colony of flamingos that feed on the algae and breeds on the shore.

Titilayo Kupoliyi