Mono Lake Tufas _4249
Extract from a website:
The tufa towers are formed when calcium-bearing freshwater springs well up through the alkaline lake water which is rich in carbonates. The calcium and carbonate combine, precipitating out as limestone. Over many years, a tower forms around the mouth of the spring. This tufa-forming reaction happens only in the lake itself. As the lake level drops and exposes the tufa towers, they cease to grow. Some of the older towers are as old as 13,000 years, found along the ancient shore. Tufa is also formed as freshwater springs percolate through briny lake-bottom sand. The “sand tufas” are intricate sand tubes and columns exposed as winds strip away their sandy coverings.
Mono Lake Tufas _4249
Extract from a website:
The tufa towers are formed when calcium-bearing freshwater springs well up through the alkaline lake water which is rich in carbonates. The calcium and carbonate combine, precipitating out as limestone. Over many years, a tower forms around the mouth of the spring. This tufa-forming reaction happens only in the lake itself. As the lake level drops and exposes the tufa towers, they cease to grow. Some of the older towers are as old as 13,000 years, found along the ancient shore. Tufa is also formed as freshwater springs percolate through briny lake-bottom sand. The “sand tufas” are intricate sand tubes and columns exposed as winds strip away their sandy coverings.