The water in India's Buldhana district Lonar lake suddenly turns pink and has surprised not only locals but also scientists and nature enthusiasts from all over the world. The small body of water is located about 500 kilometers from India's largest city and financial center, Mumbai.
Local reports say that it is not the first time the popular tourist spot has changed colors, but it is the first time its water has appeared this flashy and bright.
The lake, which is considered as a national geo-heritage monument, has a mean diameter of 1.2 kilometers. Furthermore, Gajanan Kharat, a member of the Lonar lake conservation and development committee, says that it contains saline water with a pH of 10.5.
Lonar Lake Fun Facts
Also known as the Lonar crater, the small body of water was created by an asteroid impact with earth during the Pleistocene Epoch. According to scientists, the lake's oval shape suggests that the asteroid hit it at a 35 to 40-degree angle.
Moreover, the astonishing lake attracts many with its different facets of science, beauty, and religion. The lake's naturally blue water is made up of alkaline and saline, which makes it unique and renowned worldwide. Additionally, vegetation along the mud belt won't be seen in the lake because of the water's alkaline content.
Experts also say that Lonar Crater is the best preserved and youngest carter formed from basalt rock. Scientists determined the crater to be about to be around 52,000 years old. Locals also say that a sweet water well is located at the southern end of the lake and that the most prominent reptiles found near the lake are monitor lizards.
Another interesting feature of the lake is the non-symbiotic nitrogen-fixing microbes that thrive in it. Microorganisms such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Paracoccus denitrificans are said to only survive in alkaline conditions as well as bodies of water with a pH level of 11.
What Makes a Lake Pink?
According to the United States Geological Survey, colors in oceans, rivers, and other water bodies can change due to dissolved matter such as tannins and suspended particles such as sediments.
A tannin is a substance caused by organic matter from leaves, roots, and plant remains. It could influence the water's color when blended into it. On the other hand, sediments are fine particles of clay that are broken down by weathering processes and erosion.
As for Lonar Lake, Kharat says that salinity and the algae present in its waters could be responsible for its pink color. He also says that the lake's water level is currently low compared to the past few years and has not received rain to pour over its waters.
He says the low water level could have led to an increased salinity and a change in the behavior of the algae that dwell in it, causing the sudden change in color.
Dr. Madan Suryavanshi, the head of the geography department of Aurangabad's Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, says that the change could not possibly be due to human intervention. He says that the change in color seems to have been caused by a biological change in the Lonar crater. Furthermore, he attributes that due to the lockdown phase, there might not have been any disturbance to the lake's water, which had led to this change.
Whatever the cause may be, spectators continue to be in awe of nature's wonders such as the pink lake in India's small but sweet hidden spot.
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