There are several candidates for the title of the salt lake in the world. Each of them in its own way is unique, something stands out among the others and has the full right to world fame. Consider the most salty lake in the world, depending on various parameters.
The most famous salt lake
Speaking exclusively about such a parameter as the popularity of the reservoir, the Dead Sea is in the first place. And do not rush to resent the mismatch of the name. In fact, the Dead Sea is a big lake, because it has no runoff, that is, it does not flow into the ocean, as it should be with every sea.
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It is located in Jordan, or rather - on its border with Israel. It flows into the Jordan River and a few small streams and streams. Because of the hot climate, the water here constantly evaporates, the salt does not disappear anywhere, but only accumulates, because of which its concentration constantly increases.
On average, the salt concentration here reaches 28-33%. For comparison: the salt concentration in the World Ocean does not exceed 3-4%. And the highest concentration in the Dead Sea is observed in the south - at the farthest end from the confluence of the river. Here, even salt columns are formed because of the active drying of the brine.
The largest salt lake in the world
If we talk not only about the concentration of salt, but also about the size of the reservoir, then the largest in the world salt lake is named Lake Uyuni in the south of the Bolivian desert plain. Its area is 19 582 square kilometers. This is a record figure. At the bottom of the lake is a thick layer of salt (up to 8 meters). The lake becomes filled with water only during the rainy season and becomes like a perfectly flat mirror surface.
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The lake in the period of drought resembles a salt desert. There are active volcanoes, geysers, whole islands of cacti. Of salt, residents of nearby settlements are not only preparing, but even building houses.
The Salt Lake in Russia
There are many salty lakes in Russia, which are its natural wealth and sights. So, the most saline lake in Russia is in the Volgograd region and it's called Elton. Its surface has a golden-pink hue, and water and mud from the bottom have healing properties. Therefore, it is not surprising that not one health resort was built around the lake.
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By the way, the salt concentration in Elton is 1.5 times higher than in the Dead Sea. In summer this lake dries up so much that its depth becomes only 7 cm (against 1.5 meters in spring). The lake is almost perfectly round in shape, 7 rivers flow into it. So, the Elton lake is also the most saline lake in Eurasia.
Another Russian salt lake is Lake Bulukhta. And although it does not have those healing properties, like Elton, still here tourists like to visit. The lake is among the wild nature, and it is not so easy to get here.
The coldest salt lake in the world
On the glacier in the Antarctic found incredibly salty lake Don Juan, which also has the right to be the first in terms of salinity and geographical location. The name of his lake was obtained from the names of two helicopter pilots who discovered him - Don Po and John Hickey.
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In its parameters the lake is small - only 1 kilometer by 400 meters. Its depth in 1991 was no more than 100 meters, and today it has dried to a level of only 10 cm. The size of the lake has diminished - today it is 300 m long and 100 m wide. Until the end of the lake, it does not dry up only by underground water. The concentration of salt here is higher than in the Dead Sea - 40%. The lake does not freeze even in a 50-degree frost.
Lake Don Juan is also interesting in that the geography in its vicinity resembles the surface of Mars. Scientists suggest the presence of such salt lakes on Mars.