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This blog post explores the mysteries associated with Lonar Lake, which is a crater lake in Maharashtra, India. Lonar Lake is one of the naturally formed saltwater lakes. The water of this lake is characterized by its alkaline and saline types. But at the same time, the fresh water in nearby areas introduces the mystery around Lonar Lake!
You read that right. In the vicinity of the lake, freshwater flows along with saltwater. Because of such diverse features, the environment here is one of the rarest in the world. Due to these mysteries, all the scientists and geologists in the world are always curious about Lonar Lake. NASA itself is fascinated by this lake.
The mysteries associated with Lonar Lake.
- Freshwater source in nearby area.
- Shining crystals.
- Magnetic elements in the soil.
- The entire Lonar lake was dry in 2006.
- Volcanic rocks (Floating stones).
- Why Lonar Lake water turns pink.
The world-renowned space agency NASA has said that such basalt rock lakes have also been found on Mars. The chemical properties of the water at Lonar are similar to those of Mars. Instead of some common rocks, soil or sand that are always found near a river or lake, you will find sparkling crystals and various minerals in the lake area. This is a kind of mystery of Lonar Lake.
You can read its details, which we have covered in the How Lonar Lake Was Formed blog post and can increase your knowledge. You will also be surprised to read that the soil in the lake area is rich in minerals with magnetic properties. For this reason, even the compass does not work properly in this area.
In 2006, due to the scorching heat in the area, sudden evaporation from Lonar Lake caused Lonar Lake to be dry. Instead of common rocks, the lake area was completely covered with sparkling crystals, minerals, and salt particles.
This was a matter of curiosity not only for the locals but also for the entire administration and the geologist. Because no one has ever seen or heard of Lonar Lake drying up in this way. But over time, when it rained, the lake flooded again.
In addition, some igneous rocks have been found in the Lonar Lake area, that are formed due to the heat collision of meteorites. These igneous rocks (floating stones) can float on the water.
Black crystals are also found in the vicinity of the crater. This type of rock is also found in some of the craters on the moon. It makes the world-famous Lonar Lake even more important.
Why Lonar Lake water turns pink?
If you don’t know, another wonderful and mysterious secret about Lonar Lake is that in the year 2020, the water of Lonar Lake suddenly turned pink. At that time, the news spread like wildfire all over the world.
At that time, not only the local people or the administration were curious about it, but the attention of scientists and people from all over the world were attracted to the lake. Scientists have tried to uncover the mystery. According to experts, this is not the first time the lake has changed colour. But by 2020, the water had visibly turned pink.
According to scientists, there is no oxygen in the lake water one meter below the surface. This may be due to the high salinity and algae content in the lake water. A lake in Iran has been found to have similar reddening due to high salinity levels.
The administration collected the pink water samples from the lake and sent them to National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur and Agarkar Research Institute, Pune for testing.
According to their report, the water in Lonar Lake may have turned pink due to the influence of Haloarchaea microbes. Haloarchaea microbes produce pink pigments. According to scientists, this water caused a large increase in the bacterium Haloarchaea and because of this, a pink sheet was spread on this water. The report further added that the pink colour of the water was not permanent.
During laboratory tests, when the biomass of these microorganisms stabilized at the bottom, the colour of the water became transparent once again. Scientists later told a news website that the water in the lake was slowly changing to a normal colour due to monsoon rains.
Scientists also observed that the pink feathers of flamingo birds visiting the lake were caused by eating carotenoid-rich food they ate in lakes.
Why does foil stick to the magnet at Lonar Lake?
Lonar Lake area is rich in rocks and minerals with some magnetic properties. Therefore, the properties of magnetism have come down in the soil of this area as well as in some rocks.
When we rotate the magnet from the soil here, it sticks to the soil magnet a lot. And the same can be said of aluminium foil. When you try to use a compass in this area, it doesn’t work properly.
Are there any medicinal uses of Lonar lake?
The water of Lonar lake is used for its medicinal properties. As this water is rich in salts and other minerals, it is mainly used in various cosmetics for dermatitis.
Due to the availability of salts and other minerals in the water, a large number of medicinal plants are also found in the area. They are also used as medicine for various ailments.
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