The world's most 'unusual' lake: There are not many countries but many countries want to own it

In the village of La Brea southwest of the island of Trinidad in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Americas there is a lake named Pitch Lake. Pitch Lake does not have much water but attracts many tourists. Even many countries around the world have expressed their desire to use this lake. What does Lake Pitch contain that everyone craves so much?

Although Lake Pitch does not have many countries, any country wants to own it.

Lake does not contain water

The reason is because Lake Pitch is actually the largest natural asphalt lake in the world. Lake Pitch contains up to 10 million tons of asphalt. It can be said that the Pitch asphalt lake is the largest natural asphalt mine in the world. Pitch asphalt lake has an area of ​​​​up to 40 hectares and a depth of 75m.

Lake Pitch was found in 1595 and has been in use since 1867. It was at the end of the 16th century that Sir Walter Raleigh came to this country and in the process of discovering this area he was overwhelmed. by the smell of tar in the air. The natives led him to what they thought was hell. When he arrived he found a lake filled with a black substance and Walter Raleigh was the discoverer of Lake Pitch.

Lake Pitch is the largest natural asphalt lake in the world.

Scientists after analyzing the substances in Lake Pitch have concluded that it is up to thousands of years old.

Lake Pitch formed after the Caribbean plate shifted and was overlaid by another continental block. This displacement created fractures and caused underground crude oil to erupt to the surface. Some time later, when the light elements in the crude oil were all evaporated, all that remained was tar.

According to ancient legend, Lake Pitch once "swallowed" a tribe because they ate hummingbirds, birds believed to be the spirits of their ancestors. So the gods created Pitch Lake to punish humanity.

Lake Pitch contains up to 10 million tons of asphalt.

Another local legend holds that Lake Pitch is related to the story of Callifaria, the daughter of a local tribal chief. She ran away with her lover Kasaka, a prince of a rival tribe. Her father chased and caught his daughter. He then tied her to a horse so that it could drag her back home. The god Arawak, when he heard about this, was very angry, he submerged her whole village to the ground and "covered" it with asphalt.

Natural History Museum

According to Amusing Planet, during research at Lake Pitch, scientists have found countless traces of animals from prehistoric times. In the lake bed, paleontologists have recovered the bones of wolves, turtles, mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, bison and other invertebrates. They believe that these animals accidentally fell and got stuck in the asphalt. It is the asphalt layer that helps their skeletons to be preserved in such a perfect way.

In the lake bed, biologists have recovered the bones of prehistoric animals.

According to statistics of scientists, 90% of fossils in Lake Pitch are of predatory species. In which, there are up to 4,000 fossils of direwolf, 2,000 fossils of saber-toothed tiger, the rest are of North American wolves. They also found fossils of raptors.

In 1928, a giant 4,000-year-old tree suddenly rose to the bottom of Lake Pitch and then slowly sank back down. From this incident, scientists have hypothesized that Lake Pitch is an environment similar to the hydrocarbon lake on Titan, Saturn's moon. If they can analyze all the substances in Pitch Lake, they will find out whether there is life in Titan's hydrocarbon lake.

Abundant source of asphalt

The asphalt of Pitch Lake is extremely dense, so you can easily walk on the lake. However, if you stop, you will sink. Because from the surface, Lake Pitch seems completely quiet, but in the lake bed, the asphalt lines are actually always moving non-stop.

The asphalt of Pitch Lake is extremely dense, so you can easily walk on the lake.

The asphalt source of Lake Pitch up to this point has been exploited for more than 100 years and has not shown any signs of drying up. Therefore, although the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has a population of less than 1.2 million, thanks to its asphalt and petroleum resources, the country is a great investment destination for international business people.

Currently, Lake Pitch is supplying 108,000 tons of bitumen (used as asphalt) and most of it is exported. Oil fields mostly in Southern Trinidad provide more than 7 million tons/year (1994). Gas extraction is also on the rise. Petroleum is exported to the United States and the United Kingdom. Much of the oil wells and refineries are in the hands of US companies. Hydrocarbon production accounts for 80% of the total value of exported products. As of 2016, the GDP of Trinidad and Tobago reached 22,809 USD, ranking 106th in the world and 1st in the Caribbean.

The road in front of the UK's Buckingham Palace or La Guardia airport, the US Lincoln tunnel are all famous structures that used asphalt from Lake Pitch to build.

Scientists calculate that the amount of asphalt under Lake Pitch can be exploited in several hundred years.

So far, mining companies have collected 10 million tons of asphalt but Pitch Lake is still very much. Scientists surmise that there are many sources of oil underground and perhaps the source of asphalt will not be exhausted. The amount of asphalt under Lake Pitch can be exploited for several hundred years.

After rain, many small lakes are formed, tourists will flock here to soak in the water.

In addition, Pitch Lake is also a popular tourist destination. Every year, the number of tourists coming here is up to 20,000 people. The time when most tourists come is after the rainy season. After the rains, many small lakes are formed on the surface of Lake Pitch and they contain very high sulfur content. Such lake water can cure diseases of bones, joints and skin. Therefore, tourists often come here to take a dip in these small lakes.