Twilight Zone
I have been to underground caverns where calcium and other mineral deposits form stalactites and stalagmites. Do you know the difference between the two? Stalactites hang “tight” from the ceiling and Stalagmites “might” reach the ceiling. Now lets get back to the image.
The first thing that came to mind when I arrived at Mono Lake is that someone had opened up some caverns. The most unusual feature of Mono Lake are its dramatic and alien looking tufa towers emerging from the surface.These rock towers form when underwater springs rich in calcium mix with the waters of the lake, which are rich in carbonates. The resulting reaction forms limestone.
I had not quite researched what these were before I went. Once there, the signs showing the water levels at various times in the past sounded very similar to the Aral Sea. The inland sea that was basically destroyed by some poor choices made by the Soviets who diverted the rivers that fed it to grow cotton in the desert. Aral sea is now all but gone and the area is a toxic wasteland. It is a depressing sight.
Pretty as Mono lake looked, its fate could have been not very different. Once again the cause was human greed. It was a matter of going after short term solutions and gains while ignoring the potential damage to the environment and future generations. At one point of time these tufas were underwater and they were basically killed off when the lake levels fell because the water was diverted to Los Angeles.
About the image:
It is a single exposure. The last one of the evening before heading to another location to shoot the night sky.
Twilight Zone
I have been to underground caverns where calcium and other mineral deposits form stalactites and stalagmites. Do you know the difference between the two? Stalactites hang “tight” from the ceiling and Stalagmites “might” reach the ceiling. Now lets get back to the image.
The first thing that came to mind when I arrived at Mono Lake is that someone had opened up some caverns. The most unusual feature of Mono Lake are its dramatic and alien looking tufa towers emerging from the surface.These rock towers form when underwater springs rich in calcium mix with the waters of the lake, which are rich in carbonates. The resulting reaction forms limestone.
I had not quite researched what these were before I went. Once there, the signs showing the water levels at various times in the past sounded very similar to the Aral Sea. The inland sea that was basically destroyed by some poor choices made by the Soviets who diverted the rivers that fed it to grow cotton in the desert. Aral sea is now all but gone and the area is a toxic wasteland. It is a depressing sight.
Pretty as Mono lake looked, its fate could have been not very different. Once again the cause was human greed. It was a matter of going after short term solutions and gains while ignoring the potential damage to the environment and future generations. At one point of time these tufas were underwater and they were basically killed off when the lake levels fell because the water was diverted to Los Angeles.
About the image:
It is a single exposure. The last one of the evening before heading to another location to shoot the night sky.