![]() The most important source for natron during the 1st century BCE was the village of Nitria in the middle of Saqqara Nome. It could also be used to disinfect wounds and wash stubborn stains, like blood. Brandt’s photographs are meant to portray the artistic dimension of the natural world, but they also serve a as a disturbing vision of Lake Natron’s future if human development goes unchecked.In ancient Egypt, natron was highly valued due to its importance in the mummification process, and funerary rites. The “near-threatened” lesser flamingoes, in particular, could be permanently forced out by proposed industrial developments and uncontrolled tourism. While the water itself is non-toxic to at least a few organisms, human interference in the region could cause an environmental havoc that no type of adaptations could defend against. Harper also clarified that while other wildlife unlucky enough to stumble into the lake are certainly not safe, they do not instantly die and become calcified as has been sometimes misreported. “The skin prevents damage by the caustic water, but birds that have cuts or other injuries can quickly become incapacitated and then fall victim to predators like eagles.” The tilapias that swim in the lake have evolved with similar characteristics to withstand the alkalinity and high temperatures. “Lesser flamingoes have leathery skin on their legs, as feathers would be useless soaked with water,” explained Harper. For these organisms, the lake is a perfect barrier against predators.Įvolution has been kind to these animals, which have adapted well enough to withstand the harsh waters. A few species of alkaline tilapia are endemic to the waters, too. “But those that do live in enormous densities because there is no competition.” Nearly 2.5 million lesser flamingoes use Lake Natron as an exclusive breeding ground. “There are very few species that can live there,” said David Harper, a freshwater science researcher at the University of Leicester. Ancient Egyptians used natron extensively for their mummification rituals. Natron, for which the lake is named after, flows from the surrounding hillsides, and collects in high proportions as rapid evaporation rates reduce the waters into a rich slurry. The animals are calcified because a mixture of salt and minerals called natron, which completely dries out dead matter while simultaneously preserving it from bacterial decay. The phenomenon has received a lot of attention lately thanks to photographer Nick Brandt, whose latest book, Across the Ravaged Land, shows the result of this eerie ecological spectacle. But rather than decay, the lifeless carcasses are transformed by Lake Natron’s unusual properties into calcified, statuesque figures - pale and hardened like desert rock. When wildlife in the region die, there’s a good chance the bodies will fall into the vast lake and drift ashore. Lake Natron: The Mysterious Petrified Mummies Of Tanzania And although salt-loving microorganisms bloom in the lake, tinting sections a dense, violent shade of red, the waters are so hostile the lake is void of many of the types of plants and animals teeming around it. The shallow lake retains an average pH as alkaline as ammonia, and temperatures can sometimes rise as high as 140 degrees. Northern Tanzania’s Lake Natron has more in common with post-apocalyptic fiction than it does with the rest of the region’s peaceful mountains. This was caused by a volcano that is to the south of the lake, causing the ash runoff to run into its waters. This is due to sodium carbonate and other minerals, which end up in the lake, as a result of materials that come from the hills next to the river. The high caustic level can cause great damage, burn the skin and eyes of animals. The lake waters have an extremely alkaline pH, which is between 9 and 10.5. in salt and lasts forever”.Īccording to the American television program Discovery News, this has a scientific explanation. Just like birds colliding with glass windows, these fell into the lake.”ĭavid Harper, an ecologist at the University of Leicester who has visited Lake Natron four times, came to a conclusion in his research on the site: “If a body falls somewhere else, it decomposes very quickly, but at the lake’s edge, it gets encrusted. No one is quite sure exactly how they die, but it seems that the lake reflects light a lot and this confuses them. ![]() In the post titled All Over the Wasteland, the photographer wrote: “I unexpectedly encountered the creatures – all manner of birds and bats – along the shores of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania. ![]() ![]()
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