lake natron in tanzania turns animals to stone

The mummified species are the eerie aftermath of nature’s nightmarish unpredictability. brandt notes that the chemical level was so extreme, that while he was capturing the images, the ink stripped off his kodak film boxes within just a few seconds. the waterway contains a deadly chemical composition - a very high soda and salt content - which causes any creature who dares to dip in to die, calcify, and remain perfectly preserved as they dry.

the animals had washed up along the shoreline of the lethal lake natron, a salt lake located near the kenyan border. While traveling northern tanzania for a pictorial journey of east africa, british photographer nick brandt unexpectedly came upon a number dead birds and bats that appeared to be made out of stone. Image © nick brandt 2013 / courtesy of hasted kraeutler gallery, NY Sodium carbonate was once used in Egyptian mummification processes for this very reason.įurther detail about the photos can be found in Brandt's book 'Across the Ravaged Land' published in 2013.Lethal lake natron calcifies animals into stone-like corpses Instead, the lake's high sodium carbonate content acts as a preservative for the animals unfortunate enough to die in its waters. Lake Natron in fact contains a thriving ecosystem of freshwater wetlands and salt marshes, home to the animals pictured in Brandt's photography.

The lake's alkalinity comes from the minerals flowing into the lake from the hills surrounding it, particularly sodium carbonate.īut contrary to the clickbait headlines, Lake Natron doesn't instantly kill the creatures that regularly come into contact with it.

Lake Natron is indeed hostile to wildlife that hasn't adapted to its highly alkaline water, which at a pH of 10.5 would burn the skin and eyes of any human foolhardy enough to take a swim. Lake Natron is home to a thriving ecosystem, and its waters' alkalinity preserves the remains of animals that die in or near it.įor around a decade now, striking images of calcified animal remains on Lake Natron in Tanzania taken by the photographer Nick Brandt have circulated through social media, often featuring alongside eye-grabbing headlines describing it as a lake that turns living animals to stone.

Lake natron in tanzania turns animals to stone