Lonar Lake, the name for the lake that used to be green now has turned pink overnight. The lake which is about 300 miles east of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra was formed by an impact of a meteor that hit the Earth around 50,000 years ago.
The color transform can be seen in recent weeks from the original color to reddish pinky tinge. The salinity of the water and the presence of bacteria perhaps the reasons for the lake change the color.
A video tweeted by Maharashtra Tourism, the local geologist said the color of the lake had already changed in the past but was not fully done.
“It’s looking particularly red this year because this year the water’s salinity has increased,” he said.
He also said, “The amount of water in the lake has reduced and the lake has become shallower, so the salinity has gone up and caused some internal changes.”
The lake is famous for being the world’s biggest basaltic impact ever according to The Times of India.
The scientist noticed that Lonar Lake is a highly alkaline body of water with high salinity, and the chemicals in the lake support the growth of a family of bacteria known as halobacteriaceae.
These organisms get active in highly saline conditions and produce a red pigment called bacteriorhodopsin which absorbs sunlight and converts it into energy.
The Times of India also quoted the principal chief conservator of forests & Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) field director MS Reddy, who said there was a similar phenomenon has already been observed at the Umria lake in Iran.
“With the monsoon, the water level will increase and water temperatures will go down turning the lake water back to its normal coloration.” said MS Reddy
The changing of the color has made a hot topic of conversation among the state’s forest department, scientists, and nature lovers.
Source: Independent