I saw entire flocks of dead birds all washed ashore together, lemming-like,” he says. Tanzanias alkaline Lake Natron has such a high concentration of natron that its pH level is nearly as high as ammonia, transforming animals into calcified. During dry season, Brandt discovered, when the water recedes, the birds’ desiccated, chemically-preserved carcasses wash up along the coastline. Brandt theorizes that the highly-reflective, chemical dense waters act like a glass door, fooling birds into thinking they’re flying through empty space (not long ago, a helicopter pilot tragically fell victim to the same illusion, and his crashed aircraft was rapidly corroded by the lake’s waters). are covered with the minerals and look like the terrible stone statues.
STATUES OF LAKE NATRON SERIES
The conditions of the lake are very harsh and animals usually avoid it, but those who die there are being turned into statues. Lake Natron in Tanzania is one of the most serene lakes in Africa, but it's also the source of some of the most phantasmagorical photographs ever captured images that look as though living. Lake Natron, Tanzania from the series Flowers of the Earth. Where is Lake Natron Lake Natron is in northern Tanzania, just over a 100 km northwest of the city of Arusha. A swallow © Nick Brandt 2013, Courtesy of Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, NYĪs you might expect, few creatures live in the harsh waters, which can reach 140 degrees Fahreinheit-they’re home to just a single fish species ( Alcolapia latilabris), some algae and a colony of flamingos that feeds on the algae and breeds on the shore.įrequently, though, migrating birds crash into the lake’s surface. Approaching the shoreline of Lake Natron in Tanzania, photographer Nick Brandt faced an eerie sight: There, lying on the earth as still and stiff as statues. It’s actually a natural surrounding of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania. Lake Natron as seen from space on 3 March 2017 Image by NASA.
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