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Topic Starter |
Immanentize The Eschaton
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This Alkaline African Lake Turns Animals Into Stone
![]() In 2011, when he was traveling to shoot photos for a new book on the disappearing wildlife of East Africa, Across the Ravaged Land, photographer Nick Brandt came across a truly astounding place: A natural lake that seemingly turns all sorts of animals into stone. “When I saw those creatures for the first time alongside the lake, I was completely blown away,” says Brandt. “The idea for me, instantly, was to take portraits of them as if they were alive.” ![]() The ghastly Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, is a salt lake—meaning that water flows in, but doesn’t flow out, so it can only escape by evaporation. Over time, as water evaporates, it leaves behind high concentrations of salt and other minerals, like at the Dead Sea and Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Unlike those other lakes, though, Lake Natron is extremely alkaline, due to high amounts of the chemical natron (a mix of sodium carbonate and baking soda) in the water. The water’s pH has been measured as high as 10.5—nearly as high as ammonia. “It’s so high that it would strip the ink off my Kodak film boxes within a few seconds,” Brandt says. ![]() As 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. Frequently, though, migrating birds crash into the lake’s surface. 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). During dry season, Brandt discovered, when the water recedes, the birds’ desiccated, chemically-preserved carcasses wash up along the coastline. “It was amazing. I saw entire flocks of dead birds all washed ashore together, lemming-like,” he says. “You’d literally get, say, a hundred finches washed ashore in a 50-yard stretch.” ![]() Over the course of about three weeks, Brandt worked with locals to collect some of the most finely-preserved specimens. “They thought I was absolutely insane—some crazy white guy, coming along offering money for people to basically go on a treasure hunt around the lake for dead birds,” he says. “When, one time, someone showed up with an entire, well-preserved fish eagle, it was extraordinary.” Just coming into contact with the water was dangerous. “It’s so caustic, that even if you’ve got the tiniest cut, it’s very painful,” he says. “Nobody would ever swim in this—it’d be complete madness.” ![]() For the series of photos, titled “The Calcified” and featured in this month’s issue of New Scientist, Brandt posed the carcasses in life-like positions. “But the bodies themselves are exactly the way the birds were found,” he insists. “All I did was position them on the branches, feeding them through their stiff talons.” ![]() http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/arts...ls-into-stone/ |
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#2 |
Hey Loochy, I'm hooome!
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i am officially creeped out
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Hey Loochy, I'm hoooome! ![]() |
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#3 |
Immanentize The Eschaton
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Happy Halloween. This should make you feel better:
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#4 |
Hey Loochy, I'm hooome!
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Hey Loochy, I'm hoooome! ![]() |
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#5 |
MVP
Join Date: Mar 2012
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Just crazy.
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#6 |
....
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This is weird and creepy.
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#7 |
NFL's #1 Ermines Fan
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That's pretty wild.
I'm intrigued by the species of fish that lives in the lake. That's a tough fish.
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I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit. |
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#8 |
Immanentize The Eschaton
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Apparently it's in the tilapia group. It's obviously very tough and reportedly very aggressive. But it tastes pretty good if you can get over the sodium carbonate/baking soda natron flavor.
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#9 |
Valiant 'The Thread Killer'
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#10 | |
Sauntering Vaguely Downwards
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Quote:
That's not surprising at all; the rift lakes in Africa are where you find all commercially traded cichlids (lakes Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria; the rift lakes). And yes, cichlids are territorial, aggressive and ultimately sturdy as all hell. Even rift lake cichlids like a higher PH; I try to keep my cichlid tank at about 8.0. The easiest way to do it is to chuck limestone into the tank as decorative rocks, etc... You can also buy buffers designed to keep your PH pretty high. It's hell on pumps and light fixtures. But man - 10.5 is pretty insane.
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"If there's a god, he's laughing at us.....and our football team..." "When you look at something through rose colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags." |
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#11 |
Spiraling down the Drain
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This sounds made up.
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"We're both part of the same hypocrisy, Senator, but never think it applies to my family." "Fredo. You are my brother, and I love you. But never take sides against the Family again. Ever." 2019 Adopt a Chief - Travis Kelce #87 |
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#12 |
World's Best Boss
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Hauntingly Beautiful.
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#13 |
Don't Tease Me
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#14 |
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot OVER!
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I am thinking of taking the wife on vacation soon. Hmmmmmmmmmmm?
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#15 |
Live free or die hard
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Those birds look a little too posed to have just been found.
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