The Pink Lake

While I was driving from the city this afternoon, I witnessed this very interesting phenomenon... 

The salt crystallization pan at Dry Creek, South Australia.

Located 12 kilometres northwest of Adelaide, alongside Salisbury Highway and Port Wakefield Road is a 4000-hectare salt crystallization pan that has been part of South Australia’s salt-mining industry since 1940.  But aside from its importance in dye manufacturing, food, leather-tanning and paper industries, salt lakes, like this, were once a mystery!  A body of water would usually reflect the blue sky but salt lakes would sometimes boast of its pink dye. 

The warm and dry weather last week followed by the cool and wet conditions in South Australia this week have possibly aided in achieving the suitable salinity, temperature and light to prompt the algae in accumulating the red pigments of the bacteria growing at the crusty bottom of the lake.       

The same phenomenon occurs in the famous Pink Lake in Goldfields-Esperance region, Western Australia. 

The lake boasting its pink dye!  Dry Creek, South Australia.

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