Lake Natron is a natural lake located in northern
Tanzania - a country in east Africa. Lake Natron is known for its beautiful colors,
serenity, and for being one of the most inhospitable places for life on the whole planet! But how could that be? What could possibly be so bad about a naturally
occurring body of water? Well this is no regular lake. No, as you’ll see, Lake Natron is one of
the strangest, and potentially one of the most deadly, places on earth. Lake Natron is fed by the Ewaso Ng’iro River
as well as hot springs that are full of minerals. Because water flows into the lake, but does
not flow out, the lake’s water levels vary purely from evaporation. And when the water evaporates, it leaves behind
large amounts of minerals like natron, which was one of the main elements used by Ancient
Egyptians during the mummification process. Lake Natron is a strange place that has just
the right geological conditions to make it filled with chemicals, salts, and minerals,
all of which come together to make it very toxic and hard for humans to even live near. There are, though, a few animals that can
survive and even thrive in it. Three kinds to be precise. A small species of fish, algae, as well as
a group of flamingos that love to feed off the algae. So if an animal can survive living in Lake
Natron, why can’t you hop in for a little swim? Well, there’s more than one reason why this
isn’t your ideal swimming hole. First, the lake’s temperature can reach
as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hot enough to do some serious damage! Just six seconds of exposure to water of that
temperature can leave you with third degree burns! But let’s say you could somehow handle the
heat. You’ve taken some pretty hot showers in
your day and you’re ready to withstand any temperature of water that isn't boiling. Now what? Well because of the deposits of various minerals
and constant evaporation, there are large, concentrated build ups of salt in the shallow
waters that are almost like glass and can cut you up if you’re not careful! And we know we said you could handle the heat,
but once again this water is really, really hot! And the lake’s dangers don’t stop there. The PH of the lake has been shown to reach
levels higher than 12! That’s like swimming in pure Ammonia. If you exposed yourself to those dangerous
levels, your eyes, mouth, and any open wounds on the body would start burning immediately. And this pain would get worse, much worse,
with more exposure over time. If you didn’t learn your lesson and hop
right out of the lake, your body would continue to be burned away, eventually leading to death
or drowning. Once your body is submerged in the water,
the minerals present in the lake would start going to work. And though it doesn’t happen immediately,
over time your body would become calcified and preserved. Muscles, organs, and sometimes even hair could
become hard as rock. In the future, during a dry season when the
water levels dip much lower than usual, if someone discovered your now visible remains,
you’d resemble an ancient statue, frozen forever In the exact pose you died in. Many unfortunate animals have been found that
ended up in this exact situation. They either died naturally and fell into the
lake, or were unable to escape, and now look like realistic statues. To date though, no humans have been found
who met the fate of becoming a living statue. Although Lake Natron may seem intriguing,
mysterious, and clear as a mirror, we don’t recommend jumping into it. Because except for a very few animals adapted
to it, everything that goes in, usually doesn’t come out alive. Want more episodes of Fuzzy and Nutz? Hit that subscribe button and be sure to turn
on notifications. Then go into the comments and tell us what
you want to see Fuzzy and Nutz try out next!
