The secret of 'the most lonely place in the earth'

Lake Mono is a shallow saltwater lake located in the high desert, on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, California (USA) mountain range. Located at an altitude of 1,945m above sea level with an area of ​​150km ² , the lake has no way to flow into the sea, causing a high amount of salt accumulation in the water.

Lake Mono was formed 760,000 years ago by the fault of the Earth's crust. Once one of the ancient salt lakes with the most unique and rich ecosystem in the world, this lake has no fish, but there are trillions of saltwater shrimp and Alkan flies living here. Until 1941, this beautiful lake was still completely harmless.

Lake Mono was formed 760,000 years ago by the fault of the Earth's crust.

But then, in order to serve the development process, the Los Angekes Municipal Government drained streams around the Lake Mono basin. That intervention took place over 50 years until 1990, when Lake Mono lost half of its water while the double salinity made it a toxic saltwater reservoir filled with Carbonate, Chlorides and Sulfate. As a consequence of this salinity, no fish can survive in Lake Mono.

No fish can survive in Lake Mono.

Shrimp that used to be the most dominant species in this area also became scarce because of reduced fertility. At the same time, vegetation such as algae also decreases, threatening the survival of the species in the lake because of reduced food sources.

By 2012, the current lake ecosystem seems to be completely destroyed because the lake's salinity is so high that saltwater shrimp can no longer survive, leaving about 1.3 million bird species without food. . A council was formed to overcome but the recovery process is expected to take several decades to complete.

Due to the salty salt concentration, very few organisms live in the water so the lake surface is always clear and smooth.

The particles produced in the lake pass through the air and become toxic to the surrounding environment. So like Mark Twain described this as "the wildest, most lonely place on earth".

Lake Mono has beautiful limestone stalactites floating on the surface.

The most distinctive feature of Lake Mono is the beautiful limestone stalactites floating on the surface. These stone towers are formed from a calcium-rich lake bottom stream, combined with carbonate-rich lake water. The result of this combination is the reaction of forming limestone. Over time, the accumulation of limestone form the towers, and when the lake water level decreases, the layers of stone towers gradually expose.

Interestingly, the limestone towers here are said to be quite similar to those found on Mars, and even they have the same composition.

Lake Mono is a favorite place for those who love to explore science.

Therefore, Lake Mono is the favorite place for those who love to explore science and learn about life outside the universe.

If you come here you can ski in winter, camp or kayak on the lake in the summer, in addition, admire the beautiful twilight and dawn moments in this lake.