The lake and surrounding landscape are characterized by many flavors and mixtures of salt.
Published Feb 1, 2016
One of the largest salt pans in the world spreads across northern Botswana, offering critical seasonal oases for mammals and birds.
Published Jul 7, 2018
From the vantage point of the ISS, landscape patterns reveal the intermingling of older geologic formations and more recent landforms in this region.
Published Feb 25, 2018
Despite frigid temperatures, Antarctica’s Don Juan Pond rarely freezes.
Published Dec 28, 2014
In this active tectonic environment, salt squeezes through faults in the rock until it reaches the surface and flows like a glacier.
Published Oct 25, 2015
The “Mountain of Sulfur” rises from the desert in north-central Iran.
Published Sep 26, 2015
Colorful, mineral-rich salt flats are nestled between the Promontory Mountains and the Great Salt Lake.
Published Oct 4, 2020
The rocks of Dasht-e Kavir tell tales of a much wetter environment millions of years ago.
Published Feb 17, 2013
As water levels drop in the Dead Sea, salt is piling up on the lakebed.
Published Jul 31, 2019
A rim of crystal salts surrounds Lake Qarhan, the largest salt lake playa in China and a significant source of minerals, including table salt and potassium for fertilizer.
Published Feb 2, 2014
The colorful salt flat is a product of mineral-rich waters and a dry, flat landscape.
Published Oct 8, 2012
In October 2016, one of America’s largest lakes reached its lowest level on record.
Published Nov 3, 2016
The salt produced from tidal marshes in southern France is the product of ideal climate conditions and careful management.
Published Apr 4, 2019
High altitudes in the Andes beget salt flats and rain shadows along the border of Chile and Bolivia.
Published Apr 14, 2019
The evaporation of several prehistoric lakes contributed to the formation of Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat.
Published Dec 9, 2014
The west-central state of Gujarat accounts for nearly three-quarters of India’s annual salt production.
Published Oct 21, 2019
Great Salt Lake serves as a striking visual marker for astronauts orbiting over North America. A sharp line across its center is caused by the restriction in water flow from the railroad causeway. The eye-catching colors of the lake stem from the fact that Great Salt Lake is hypersaline, typically 3–5 times saltier than the ocean, and the high salinities support sets of plants and animals that affect the light-absorbing qualities of the water. Space Station astronauts have recorded the decline in lake levels in response to a regional 5-year drought taking both detailed views and broad views of the entire lake. As lake levels have declined the salt works have become islands in the middle of a dry lakebed.
Published Jan 19, 2004
Once submerged under an arm of the Arabian Sea, this dry lowland is now rich in salt.
Published May 18, 2015
If Lake Natron, in Africa’s Great Rift Valley, had a color theme, it would be pink. The alkali salt crust on the surface of the lake is often colored red or pink by the salt-loving microorganisms that live there. Also, the lake is the only breeding area for the 2.5 million Lesser Flamingoes that live in the valley. These flamingoes flock along saline lakes in the region, where they feed on Spirulina, a blue-green algae with red pigments. This mosaic of photographs of the southern portion of Lake Natron shows the largest open lagoon area, and island mud flat, and a large area of pink salt crust. The colors show the actual colors viewed by the astronauts. Each time the lake is photographed, there are differences in the pattern of its salt crust, and the red colors of the blue-green algae and bacteria on the surface of the crust.
Published Apr 10, 2006
An ambitious project in South San Francisco Bay is designed to restore wetlands and marshes, as well as the species that go with them.
Published Feb 11, 2016
In perhaps the driest place on Earth, water still shapes the landscape.
Published Nov 29, 2011
America's first space station was launched forty years ago. Astronauts on Skylab conducted some the first comprehensive visual studies of Earth’s surface.
Published May 14, 2013
The largest salar (salt flat) in the world, Salar de Uyuni, is located within the Altiplano of Bolivia in South America. This astronaut photograph features the northern end of the salar and the dormant volcano Mount Tunupa (image center). This mountain is high enough to support a summit glacier, and enough rain falls on the windward slopes to provide water for small communities along the base. The dark volcanic rocks comprising Mt. Tunupa are in sharp contrast with the white, mineral-crusted surface of the salar. The major minerals are halite (common table salt) and gypsum (a common component of drywall).
Published Dec 12, 2005
The wet and dry seasons bring two distinct but colorful looks to this wetland in the Thar Desert.
Published Jun 14, 2019Image of the Day Land Water Drought Floods Severe Storms Temperature Extremes
