The lavas have significant amounts of carbonate but very low calcium and magnesium levels. The surrounding bedrock is composed of alkaline, sodium-dominated trachyte lavas that were laid down during the Pleistocene period. The alkalinity of the lake can reach a pH of greater than 12. High levels of evaporation have left behind natron ( sodium carbonate decahydrate) and trona (sodium sesquicarbonate dihydrate). Temperatures at the lake are frequently above 40 ☌ (104 ☏). The surrounding area receives irregular seasonal rainfall, mainly between December and May totalling 800 millimetres (31 in) per year. The lake is a maximum of 57 kilometres (35 mi) long and 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide. It is quite shallow, less than three metres (9.8 ft) deep, and varies in width depending on its water level. The lake is fed principally by the Southern Ewaso Ng'iro River, which rises in central Kenya, and by mineral-rich hot springs. Numerous near-white salt-crust 'rafts' pepper the shallowest parts of the lake (inset).

Fault scarps and the Gelai Volcano can also be seen. Source Credit: allafrica.The southern half of Lake Natron (top). It is also used in the textile industry for dyeing cotton and other fibers.

Sodium carbonate, the chemical name for soda ash, is a key ingredient in the creation of glass, detergents, and other industrial chemicals.

The Lake’s natural deposit would be utilized to produce sodium bicarbonate, which is used in a variety of industrial applications. Infrastructure for the plant’s new soda ash factory would include a new road and rail network. Tata Chemicals Ltd proposed a $450 million industrial plant in partnership with the Tanzanian government to recover soda from Natron Lake in Tanzania. A soda ash facility near Lake Natron would have a significant impact on the livelihoods of the local community, which makes an annual revenue of half a million dollars. The Natron Lake in Tanzania is a major and regular breeding ground for world’s Lesser Flamingos birds.įlamingos bring in money for Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Kenya via tourism. Also Read: Lake Malawi the ‘Lake of Stars’, A UNESCO World Heritage Centre Despite the fact that most human communities have grown up around rivers and lakes throughout history, Natron Lake in Tanzania tells a story of a location no one ever desired to call their own.

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