Existing comment:
Strange Waters:
"... its sluggish waters are so strong with alkali that if you only dip the most hopelessly soiled garment into them once or twice and wring it out, it will be found as clean as if it had been through the ablest of washerwoman's hands."
-- Mark Twain, 1872
Today the water in Mono Lake is 2-1/2 times saltier and 1000 times more alkaline that the ocean. Streams crossing ancient seabeds and volcanic deposits carry salts and carbonates into the lake. Since Mono Lake has no outlet, the salts and carbonates become more concentrated as water evaporates. |