Lake in India that formed by a meteorite 50,000 years ago mysteriously changes from green to bright pink overnight due to either algae or increased salinity
- Lonar Lake was formed by a meteorite hitting the Earth some 50,000 years ago
- The body of water is typically green, but recently changed to pink just overnight
- Experts say it could be due to either increased salinity in the water
- They also suggest there could be a presence of algae – or a combination of both
- Officials took samples from the water, which are now being studied in a lab
India’s Lonar Lake, which formed after a meteorite hit the Earth some 50,000 years ago, has changed from a green hue to a bright pink overnight.
Deemed a ‘wonder of nature,’ experts say the change is due to either increased salinity in the water, an overgrowth of algae or a combination of the two.
As photos of the lake’s new flamingo-hued waters began to circulate on social media, experts said that although Lonar had changed color in the past, the transformation had never been so sharp before.
Officials from the state’s forest department have collected water samples to determine the exact cause behind the shift, experts said.
India’s Lonar Lake, which formed after a meteorite hit the Earth some 50,000 years ago, has changed from a green hue to a bright pink overnight. Deemed a ‘wonder of nature,’ experts say the change is due to either increased salinity in the water, an overgrowth of algae or a combination of the two
Geologist Gajanan Kharat said in a video posted by the state-run Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation on Twitter: ‘Salinity in the lake has increased as water level has gone down drastically this year and it has become warmer too resulting in overgrowth of algae.’
‘This algae turns reddish in warmer temperatures and hence the lake turned pink overnight.’
Experts have noted in the past that the body of water is highly alkaline with high salinity, which creates an environment perfect for bacteria.
This specific bacteria, known as halobacteriaceae, occasionally produces a red pigment that gathers sunlight and transforms it into energy.
Officials from the state’s forest department have collected water samples to determine the exact cause behind the shift, experts said
And when halobacteriaceae form in large numbers, the water can sometimes turn a reddish hue.
With factories and offices shuttered for months due to the lockdown, which only began to ease this week, blue skies have returned to India’s polluted cities, sparking speculation that the restrictions may have also had an impact on the lake.
Madan Suryavashi, head of the geography department at Maharashtra’s Babasaheb Ambedkar University, said: ‘here wasn’t much human activity due to lockdown which could also have accelerated the change.’
‘But we will only know the exact causes once our scientific analysis is complete in a few days,’ he told AFP.
Lonar Lake is located about 300 miles east of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, and is a popular tourist destination for both residents and people all over the world.
Lonar Lake is located about 300 miles east of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, and is a popular tourist destination for both residents and people all over the world
And it is famous for the largest basaltic impact crater, reports The Times of India.
Along with being a highly alkaline body of water, Lonar Lake also contains high levels of phosphorus and experts say the earliest signs of life on Earth may have evolved there.
The high concentrations of phosphorus point to the existence of some common, natural mechanism that accumulates the mineral in these lakes, researchers at the University of Washington explained in a 2019 study.
Life as we know it requires phosphorus, it’s one of the main six chemical elements of life and is the backbone of DNA and RNA molecules but it is a scarce mineral.