Lake Natron

Tanzania is a beautiful land with vast landscapes, mountains and lakes. One of those lakes is Lake Natron, and in an astonishing place where all sorts of strange phenomena occur, as captured 

in these striking shots by photographer Nick Brandt.

So, what on earth is going on? Thure Cerling, professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, suggests that the animals in Brandt’s photographs likely died of natural causes. Since there are few predators in the area, their bodies remain and become salt-encrusted when the lake’s water level drops. Brandt then turns the petrified animals into “action” shots, creating an eerie life/ death dichotomy.

Quite apart from Lake Natron’s peculiar Medusa like qualities, and although it’s not apparent in these black and white pictures, the lake also has distinctive colour: because of the lakes cyanobacteria, the lake is red!

Because the water is so alkaline, the only fish that live in Lake Natron are alkaline tilapia (Oreochromis alcalica).

So really salty, and really hot: Daily temperatures in the area routinely reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).