lake natron

A salt lake straddling the border between Tanzania and Kenya in East Africa. Lake Natron is notable for its striking red coloration, caused by iron-rich microorganisms that thrive in the lake's high levels of salinity. The lake is highly alkaline, hence its name (natron is a type of soda ash that occurs naturally in the evaporates from such lakes, and so can be found in abundance along the shore and in the mineral crust that often forms on the lake's surface).