Discover the secrets of the world's most salty lake

Geologists from Brown University (USA) said they have discovered the secrets of the Antarctic lake and the connection between the images of the lake and . Mars.

Lake Don Juan is located in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valley. Its salt content is 8 times higher than the Dead Sea. This is the lake with the highest salt content in the world. Therefore, the lake is not frozen even though it is located in one of the coldest and driest places on Earth. The team used time-lapse photos (a video-making technique to "shorten the time" for viewers) to observe water evaporating due to dry air and salt to keep the lake water from freezing.

James Dickson, the lead researcher, said in the Scientific Reports: "We took 16,000 photos over two months. We compared images at different times to observe the flow of water. And the lake. Don Juan told his own story ".

Does water on Mars exist like Lake Don Juan? (Photo: Labnews)

The images show that the water level in the lake increases with the temperature of the day.This means that the temperature warms up in the middle of the day, causing the snow to melt into the lake.However, this does not explain why the salt content is so high.

The team found another source of water and discovered a soft porous sediment on the west side of the lake. The photos show that whenever the relative humidity in the air soars, the salt in the soil absorbs moist air. Then, the salt hydrated into the porous soil, reaching the permafrost below. The process of snow melting will bring salt through the slit into the lake.

The most remarkable thing is that Don Juan's photo is very similar to the images sent from Mars. So scientists believe that on the red planet there will be similar currents of salt water.

"In general, the hydrological characteristics of Lake Don Juan are similar to those of Mars. It is possible that the red planet has created many of these lakes ," Dickson said.