Mono Lake of California is a large, shallow saline lake formed at least 760,000 years ago. Because it lacks an outlet, dissolved salts make the lake very alkaline and salty.
It is also a notable unique habitat for GFAJ-1, an extremophile bacteria that may be capable of incorporating the usually poisonous element arsenic into its biochemistry.
The standing mineral structures, or tufas, are a type of calcium carbonate formed when mineral-rich springs under the lake react with the alkaline lake water. The currently visible towers used to be hidden under the surface of the water—where they formed—until 1941 when freshwater sources that fed the lake were diverted to Los Angeles. This caused the lake level to drop 45 feet, exposing the tufas and the adjoining alien landscape.
This is another image captured during quick-fading twilight. Most of these types of images require longer exposures due to the inherent, and often problematic, dynamic and low-light conditions. So, even though there is a small window of time to capture such images, it is also a time of patience – especially when other people continuously walk into your composition during an extended exposure!
Benefits of VIP membership:
• Download all new issues of Landscape Photography Magazine
• Download all back issues of Landscape Photography Magazine
• Download all new issues of Wild Planet Photo Magazine
• Download all back issues of Wild Planet Photo Magazine
• Download premium eBooks worth £19.45.
• Create your Personal Portfolio Page – click here to see sample
• Your pictures stay attached to your Personal Portfolio Page forever
• We promote all your uploaded pictures to over 300,000 members and followers
• Submission Priority – your submission goes to the front of the queue
• Fast Support – we aim to reply within 12 hours
Create your Personal Portfolio Page and let us share your published pictures with over 300,000 members and followers.
Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor