Mono Lake
Mono Lake exists since 700.000 years in the eastern depression of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The lake is fed by many creeks but contains no discharging river. High evaporation rates in this arid landscape therefore keep the water level constant. Salt minerals washed into the lake can rapidly accumulate. making Mono Lake the saltiest lake in America. As a consequence tufa towers develop. Today they are sticking out of the lake because the lake is used as a water resource. They consist of calcium carbonate that originates from salts and mineral springs in the lake. The height of the tufas therefore resemble the water level at the time of their development.
August 2006
Canon 20D, EF-S 10-22mm, f/22, 1/4sec, ISO 100, polarization filter, tripod