There are water bodies on the planet in which nothing living is able to survive. For various reasons, the water in them is not suitable for life. Sometimes it also poses a danger to humans. Most often, the mystery lies in the chemical composition of the water, but some dead bodies of water remain a mystery even to scientists.
Dead Sea
The largest and most famous lifeless body of water is the Dead Sea, which lies on the border between Israel and Jordan. This is one of the most interesting places on the planet, because it is impossible to drown in the water of this sea. It's all about the concentration of salt, which reaches 275 g per 1 liter of water. For comparison, in other water bodies of the planet, this figure rarely approaches the mark of 35 g. In dead waters, only a few species of microorganisms are able to survive. All other marine life - fish, molluscs, algae - getting into such a concentrated solution of sodium chloride, instantly die. The Dead Sea is a trap for all rivers and streams that fall into it. The water does not find its way back and remains closed within the reservoir. Gradually, the fresh waters evaporate, but the salt remains, so the Dead Sea is doomed to remain dead until the end of time.
Empty lake
One of the most mysterious places in Russia is the Empty Lake, which is part of the chain of lakes hidden in the southern Siberian mountain range Kuznetskiy Alatau. There is nothing alive in Empty Lake. Interestingly, the rest of the lakes located in this area with a similar water composition are teeming with fish. Scientists did not find any poisonous or toxic substances in the samples taken from the Empty Lake, and more than once tried to populate the lake with unpretentious fish species, but, alas, all living things in this dead body of water soon die, and no explanation for this phenomenon has been found.
Black lake
Near the town of Sidi Bel Abbes in Algeria, there is a lake filled with ink that is suitable for writing. Due to their toxicity, neither fish nor plants are able to survive in this reservoir. Local residents are afraid of these places, calling the lake "Devil's Eye", but scientists were able to solve the riddle of the dead reservoir. The lake was formed thanks to the waters of two rivers. One of them contains a large amount of iron salts, and the other contains various organic substances. When combined, the streams of rivers enter into a chemical reaction to form ink.
Asphalt lake
On the island of Trinidad, 500 km from the north of Venezuela, there is an asphalt lake. It was formed in the crater of a mud volcano 90 m deep and about 45 hectares in area. The waters of the lake are constantly replenished with oil lying in the bowels of the earth. As a result of evaporation, the substance loses volatile substances, and what remains in the water resembles asphalt. Swimming in the lake is impossible and even dangerous, because there is a risk of getting stuck and drowning. There is extensive asphalt mining on the lake. Every year, up to 150,000 tons of building materials are produced here, which are mostly exported to the USA, England and other countries. In gratitude for this, the locals named the dead body of water "Mother Lake".
Lake of death
The island of Sicily has a lake that is considered the deadliest body of water on the planet. In addition to the fact that nothing living lives on the shore of the lake and in its waters, it is deadly to enter the water. If a person puts an arm or a leg into the water, then in a matter of seconds it will be covered with terrible burns and blisters. And it is not surprising: after all, sulfuric acid is contained in high concentration in water. The exact origin of this composition is unknown. Scientists suggest that at the bottom of the reservoir there are unknown rocks or other sources that enrich the water with acids.
