Dead Sea interesting facts. Salinity, depth and full description with photos. Dead Sea
On the border of Jordan and Israel lies the lowest body of water in the world, which everyone knows as the Dead Sea. This drainless salt lake is not only a tourist attraction for travelers, a bonanza for companies extracting healing salt here, but also a treasure trove of rich and fascinating history.
and its salt is known by people all over the world. And in our conditions, we buy it for its beneficial effects, in the form of salt or as part of cosmetics. Today we will go with you to the places where this salt comes from, and we will not forget about several interesting things about this natural phenomenon.
The emergence and origin of the Dead Sea
How and when did the Dead Sea actually appear? The science called geology will answer this. This happened approximately three million years ago as a result of the displacement of a tectonic fault, thereby forming a basin, which was filled with water over the years. Due to excessive drawing of water, weak and at the same time one of the few inflows of water - the Jordan River, there is a long-term constant drying. And for this reason, at present the Dead Sea is unevenly divided into two parts by a belt of land. Since the lake is shrinking every year, local authorities are trying to solve the situation by building an artificial drive channel from. Of course, the problem is the distance, the technical complexity and the fact that the water from the sea into the lake would have to be raised to a height of 120 meters before it could flow to a depth of 530 meters into the Dead Sea. Despite this, everyone believes that this is extraordinary a natural phenomenon will be able to be saved.
Drying also brings with it excessive saltiness. Everyone knows that the sea is salty, but the Dead Sea is literally one of the saltiest places in the world. Water, or rather hodgepodge, here contains 10 times more salt than in the sea. Because of this, people who cannot swim do not need to worry about their safety. Since the water lifts them up, they can calmly, for example, read right on the surface of the lake. Of course, you can’t stay in the water for long. The salt concentration is so high that after a while you will be driven to the beach to take a shower under fresh water, which is located on all beaches intended for public swimming. The snow-white sediment of salt creates an unprecedented atmosphere on the coast and is in great contrast with the deposits of black mud that contains great amount iodine and bromine. These elements have a healing effect mainly on the nervous system. Other elements, such as sulfur and magnesium, affect skin diseases. It is not surprising that medical tourism is thriving here.
Salt is more valuable than gold
But using salt has become a great business here. Especially on south side lake passes intense salt mining and other minerals. There is also a large chemical complex for processing extracted minerals in this way. We can say that the immediate surroundings live thanks to what the Dead Sea gives them. If you have seen or read the fairy tale “Salt is more valuable than gold,” its main idea has been fully embodied.
The Dead Sea gets its name from its high salinity, but is it really dead? Absolutely not! Several species of bacteria and archaea live in it. In some places there is also an algae called "dunaliella". In the vicinity of the lake live camels, ibex, hares, foxes, even leopards and hundreds of species of birds.
From a historical point of view, this territory was inhabited for more than 2000 years back. Product Use Dead Sea goes back to ancient times. Because they were used for mummification. Only in the recent past in the Qumran area were the so-called. The Dead Sea Scrolls are considered to be one of the oldest Bible manuscripts written in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic in the world. Their age dates back to the 1st century BC.
Whether you are interested in nature, history or love to travel, the Dead Sea should definitely be on your travel or vacation map. There are few places on our planet where salt beats gold, so this lake needs to be seen, felt and enjoyed.
Translation: Alla Kutserova
What is this strange sea at the very edge of the deserted scorched earth? It is a closed lake in the deepest part of the Jordan Basin. This is the lowest landmass on the globe - 412 m below the level of the Mediterranean Sea. The Israel-Jordan border runs right in the middle of the sea, so that half of the sea belongs to one country, and the other half to the other. It consists of two pools: a large northern one, up to 350 m deep, and a small and very shallow southern one.
The Dead Sea ranks second in salinity in the world after the lake. Van in Turkey. Its waters are practically lifeless, deserted and surrounding area. The high mineralization of the water is explained by intense evaporation and the presence of salt-bearing rocks at the bottom of the lake. Dissolved mineral salts are approx. 24% of the volume of water (for comparison, we point out that in ordinary sea water their content is less than 4%). If one liter of sea water contains 35 grams of salts, then a liter of Dead Sea water contains 275 grams.
How did the Dead Sea form?
Perhaps some of the readers have already heard about the theory of plate tectonics, which says that all of our continents are on plates moving relative to each other through the more liquid mantle substance (earth layer).
Once, being a single continent, “Pangaea” collapsed under the pressure of volcanic processes, and the continents gradually took their place familiar to us today. Since then, this process has not stopped, and the continents are still moving, each on its own plate. The speed of movement of these plates is different. The tectonic plate that Israel is on moves slower than the plate that Jordan is on. Thus, today the Jordanian plate is 100 km ahead of the Israeli plate, moving north and forming Mount Hermon (Hermon), as well as others mountain ranges located in the territory of modern Lebanon.
This area is part of the Syrian-East African Rift Valley. It is surrounded by the Judean Mountains to the west and the Moab Mountains to the east. Several million years ago a fault occurred in this area earth's crust, a vast meridional depression was formed, which began to fill with water, and the ancient Tethys Ocean was formed. Then almost all of Eretz Israel was flooded with water several times. As the water level dropped, the stone blocks turned out to be like dams, dividing the reservoir into separate lakes. This is how Lake Hula, Lake Kinneret (Lake of Gennesaret) and the Dead Sea were formed.
The Jordan Valley, in which the Dead Sea lies, is a unique geological formation, an intercontinental depression formed during the split of two continents - Eurasia and Africa. This deepest depression in the world is the most active part of the Syrian-African mountain rift, which in a few million years should lead to the separation of continental platforms. As a result of this, Israel will find itself on the northeastern coast of the African continent, since it stands on this very platform. The clearest evidence of the split is the frequent earthquakes along this line, sometimes very strong, such as in the 3rd and 8th centuries. and 1837. Shocks of 5-6 points occur here once every two to three years, and small ones, recorded only by instruments, two to three times a day. The depression was formed, according to geologists, about 60 million years ago and was immediately filled with water from the Tethys Ocean. It was connected through the corridor of the Jezreel Valley * with the future Mediterranean Sea, which is a relic of Tethys. Later, the ocean left, and for some time the seas were replaced by dry periods, which is clearly visible from the geological section of the rocks. Hence the layers of clays of extraordinary color and appearance preserved in the northernmost part of the basin and near Masada. About 1 million years ago, the depression was filled with very salty water from the Lashon Sea, which extended to where Lake Kinneret is today. Having dried up, the Lashon Sea left behind a trace - a layer of salt - along the length of the depression, almost 2 km deep. On the southern edge of the Dead Sea, this layer is squeezed to the surface by geological forces and forms the huge salt mountain of Sodom.
This bay was called the word “Lashon”, which means “tongue” in Hebrew, and its height was about 180 m below sea level. Today, the surface of the Dead Sea is at -422m, at the moment it may already be -423...
The gulf ran along today's geography approximately from the city of Haifa, through the Israel Valley, filling the depression where Lake Kinneret (Galilee\Genisaret) is located today, and from there to the south, to the present-day settlement of Hatzeva, which is south of the Dead Sea.
Further (3-4 million years ago), volcanic eruptions on Golan Heights and in Galilee, the connection between the Gulf of Lashon and the Mediterranean Sea was interrupted, and the bay gradually began to dry up. At the beginning, the Israel Valley dried up and a long strip remained from today’s Kinneret to the Dead Sea, including. The part connecting these two reservoirs gradually dried up, leaving the Kinneret in the north, into which the Jordan River and many streams flow, and a dead sea in the south.
The modern Dead Sea was formed only 20 - 40 thousand years ago from fresh water and is replenished with water from the Jordan River and a number of other freshwater sources - Ein Feshkha, Ein Gedi, Dragot, Arugot, David streams, etc. However, since there is no source from the Dead Sea , the water leaves here solely by evaporation and the dissolved salt remains, constantly concentrating. The evaporation level and temperatures in the valley are high, the water flow exceeds the inflow and the sea is gradually decreasing, over 100 years coastline went down 40 m. According to experts, the Dead Sea will dry up completely over the next 700 - 800 years.
In ancient literature (Josephus and Tacitus) there is information about shipping on the Dead Sea in ancient times, although it was called differently: in the Talmud - the Sea of Sodom; in the New Testament – Salty or East Sea; Josephus calls it Asphalt Lake. Currently in Arab countries this sea is usually designated as Bahr Lut, or "sea of Lot." Dating back to ancient times are the biblical accounts of Abraham and Lot and the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. David was hiding on the western shore of the Dead Sea in En Gedi. The idea that the waters of the Dead Sea swallowed up the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah dates back to the works of Josephus. A special expedition was equipped to search for these cities in 1924. According to her reports, the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah and Zoar were located on the southeastern shore of the lake.
In old times, the water and salt of the Dead Sea were exported to Italy by the Roman nobility. Judean asphalt, a bituminous liquid that rises to the surface of the lake, was used for industrial and medical purposes. Valuable and prestigious cosmetics, perfumes and medicines were produced from plants growing on the shores of the lake, and especially from impatiens. They were of such economic importance that wars were fought over their possession. For example, Mark Antony conquered the Dead Sea region for Cleopatra.
Dead Sea, what's in your name?
This sea was called differently at different times. Several names have survived to this day: “Salt Sea” (yam ha melakh), “Sea of the Arava” (yam ha arava), “East Sea” (yam kedmoni), “Asphalt Sea” (yam ha asphalt) and “Dead Sea.” (yam ha mavet). In all languages it is called the dead sea, and in Hebrew it is called salty. Arava is the name of the valley that runs from the south of the Dead Sea, the border of the Judean desert and extends to Eilat. The word "Arava" is translated as steppe.
The sea was called the Eastern or “Kedma” in ancient times because the word “Kedma” is translated as “Before”. This word indicated a geographical direction. The sun rises in the east, which means “in front” there. Today we changed our orientation and “in front” is in our north, where the compass needle actually points. The “Asphalt” sea was named because the inhabitants of this settlement collected clots of asphalt from the surface of the sea. Asphalt was used in various fields, such as repairing ships, roofing, medicines, and also for mummification in Egypt.
Well dead dead It was called the sea because there were no fish in it.
Chemical composition of Dead Sea water.
The percentage of salt in the water is quite high - about 33%, when compared with the Mediterranean Sea, in which the salt content is about 3.5-4%, there is a noticeable difference.
Most people compare swimming in the Dead Sea to swimming in salted oil. Indeed, the water feels oily to the touch, but this is most likely due to the fact that the periodic table was dipped into it more than once. About 20 different minerals are contained in this mixture, which also has medicinal properties, and helps people with skin and other diseases.
The mud of the Dead Sea is also unique, as scientists dare to say, it has no analogues in the world.
Who measured the level of the Dead Sea and when?
As stated above Dead Sea level today – 422m from the level of the world ocean. The measurement of the level of the Dead Sea is usually credited to the British, who created the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1865, but the French had taken measurements here the year before.
The French, however, although they were the first to take measurements, for some reason they delayed publishing their material, and it was published only 10 years after the expedition.
The level of the Dead Sea during the French expedition was measured by L. Vignes and at that time it was 392 meters from the level of the world ocean.
In any case, exploration of the Dead Sea and its surroundings began at the end of the 18th century. The first to study the composition of its water was Antoine Laurent, who is considered the founder of modern chemistry. Other researchers from different countries. Two of them in different time, went down the Jordan River, from the southern tip of Lake Kinneret to the Dead Sea itself, although their fate was deplorable...
Not taking into account local climate, and not understanding that the water should be drunk, Christopher Costigan and Thomas Mulina paid with their lives. Today the northern one is called by their names, and South part land that separates the Dead Sea and its basins. On one of the rocks near the Dead Sea there were even marks left by the P.E.F (Palestine Exploration Foundation), which today are quite far from the water. In addition, Highway 90 already passes under them, and driving near this place you can feel the difference in the water level then and now.
Dead Sea today
For thousands of years, in addition to mudflows from the northern part, the Jordan River flowed into the Dead Sea, emanating from the southern tip of Lake Kinneret, until Comrade Pinchas Rutenberg came.
It’s not that Pinchas Rutenberg completely cut off the water with the construction of the hydroelectric power station, but others did it for him a little later.
Thus, the main and permanent source that replenishes the Dead Sea with fresh water turned out to be on the other side of the Dgania platinum. The dam, built in the 30s of the 20th century, is opened only on rare occasions, when the winter is particularly rainy, so that the water does not flood coastal settlements. In recent decades, the dam was opened in the winter of 91/92 and 2003/2004.
The “Salt Aqueduct” runs along the western shore of Lake Kinneret, which catches water from salty surface sources on the northern part of Lake Kinneret and discharges this water after the dam.
Thus, the only constant recharge of the Dead Sea is the “Salt Aqueduct” carrying to dead sea already salty water.
The Dead Sea is now drying up or receding by one meter every year. This is a very high rate of drainage of this reservoir, and for this reason people have long taken up their heads, paper, pencils, and began to draw rescue plans.
The plans, as you already understand, are on paper and have changed more than once. There were plans to desalinate water along the coastline Mediterranean Sea, using it instead of the Kinneret lake pumped out, and the water from the Kinneret had to flow into the Dead Sea, as it was before the construction of the platinum. There were also plans to connect the Dead Sea with canals from two other seas, the Red and the Mediterranean, but there has been silence for many years.
Once again, they recently started talking about a plan to connect the Red and Dead Seas with a canal, or pipe.
This time the project should be sponsored by a world bank, and two countries and one autonomy will take part in it. Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, since the sea runs along the territory of these three political entities. The project involves laying a pipe, some of the water from which will be desalinated and go to Jordan, Israel and the autonomy. Water that has not undergone desalination will end up in the sea. In addition, a part of the canal will be built around hotel and an entertainment complex. This is the plan on paper, let's see it in execution.
A postage stamp was issued to encourage the public to pay attention to the problems of the Dead Sea.
With the draining of part of the Dead Sea, sinkholes began to form on its shore and further away, which in Hebrew are called “Bol'anim.” The sinkholes formed because the soil around the Dead Sea has been under water for thousands of years and contains large amounts of salt. When the sea receded and mudflows, descending from the mountains of the Judean desert, began to wash away this salt, and voids gradually formed.
These voids today collapse on the northern part of the Dead Sea, which makes wild beaches dangerous place stay.
In parts of the land from which the Dead Sea disappeared, and which are by definition dead today, the Israelis grow excellent peppers, grapes and other crops. All this is possible thanks to soil leaching big amount fresh water.
I would like to gorge myself that the Dead Sea will be saved, and the lands around it will be green with vegetation, despite the fact that there is a desert around.
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Let me remind you about the beautiful, and you will also be surprised The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -The Dead Sea is considered a hypersaline closed lake and a unique place on the planet: people come from all over the world to see this natural and picturesque body of water. There are many interesting facts about the Dead Sea. Here are 14 of the most surprising ones.
1. The length of the lake, according to the most conservative estimates, is about 67 km: the width of the reservoir is only 18 km. The main tributary of the sea is the Jordan River. This lies unusual lake in the region of the East African Rift Zone. At the same time, the depth of the Dead Sea reaches 377 m: the lake has become the deepest and saltiest body of water on the planet.
2. The history of the origin of the Dead Sea is unusual: it was formed at the bottom of a depression formed as a result of tectonic movements of the continent. At depth in the Dead Sea, plate shifts are still occurring: there is increased control over seismic activity, because small earthquakes occur every year - people do not feel them, but the accuracy of the instruments allows these tectonic movements to be recorded.
3. Huge masses of water move in the depths of the Dead Sea, which do not have access to the surface. Scientists found an increased concentration of salts and minerals in the water: at the same time, the Dead Sea surpassed any ocean in terms of salinity.
Even the flow of the Jordan River and several small rivers into the reservoir does not make the water fresh: despite the daily intake of 7 million tons of water that does not flow out anywhere, the salinity of the Dead Sea is 33.7%. Scientists believe that the water entering the sea quickly evaporates under the influence of sunny weather.
4. Thanks to the surprisingly high concentration of salt, a person naturally floats on the surface of the water without difficulty.
5. Nowadays, the Dead Sea consists of two separate basins. They are separated from each other by an artificially created isthmus. The northern reservoir is deep and vast, while the southern reservoir is famous for the fact that hotels, as well as mineral extraction factories, have been built on its banks. Now the southern reservoir is completely controlled by industrial companies.
There, on the southern lake, there are unique thermal springs with healing black mud: it is known that many centuries ago King Herod was treated here.
Dead Sea area, Interesting Facts which attracted scientists, is being actively researched by healthcare companies. The water is unique due to the increased concentration of enriched minerals. The atmosphere is exceptionally clean - there are no pollen or allergens. Great depth contributes to less solar ultraviolet radiation. Also natural conditions maintain the balance of optimal pressure for the body.
Due to its minerals and salinity, the Dead Sea and its mud deposits have a positive effect on health. Tourists from all over the world come here to treat diseases of the pulmonary and respiratory systems; treatment of the stomach and related organs is successfully practiced here. Staying in this unique area allows you to improve your metabolism and rejuvenate your skin. It is believed that air, water and minerals have an amazing composition and prevent cell aging: this fact is intensively used by cosmetologists when developing new cosmetics.
6. Inside the Sedom salt mountain, located 135 meters below sea level, tourists can visit the large Malham Cave. Along the way, travelers are treated to amazing views - these are salt crystals in various shapes and natural structures. Speleologists often visit the cave, but doctors do not recommend staying there for long: there is a high risk of rapid dehydration.
7. The next interesting fact about the Dead Sea is the reduced level of ultraviolet radiation: it is extremely difficult to get sunburn here when tanning. This allows you to be in the sun at any time of the day, even those unprepared for active activities. beach season to people.
8. The Bible repeatedly writes about the lake: it is mentioned as the refuge of King David. The story of Lot and his family is also connected with this sea. Leaving the dying Sodom, Lot's wife turned around, which was strictly forbidden by God. After that, it became a pillar of salt, which has remained on the seashore to this day.
9. An unusual feature of the reservoir is its ability to form special natural asphalt on the surface. The tiny black pieces resemble molten magma. Collecting this substance is quite simple - due to the salt in the water, pieces of asphalt always float on the surface of the water. History has preserved data that the Egyptians used this asphalt to mummify the dead.
10. On the shore of the lake you can see a picturesque abandoned water amusement park and the skeletons of old boats, a grove of dead palm trees and a destroyed ship dock, the ruins of a labor camp and the remains of furniture covered with a layer of salt.
11. Scientists noticed that the water level is gradually decreasing, and extensive funnels and faults are formed on the bottom protruding from the water. A research buoy floats in the middle of the lake.
12. The lowest highway is laid along the shore of the reservoir and the Jordan River: the depth of the road is 393 meters.
13. The air near a reservoir sometimes heats up to extreme temperatures, but despite this, the air is enriched with oxygen. The air masses arriving here are formed over Indian Ocean and overcome a many-kilometer strip of desert lands, where they are cleaned naturally.
14. Contrary to assumptions, many small organisms live in the water of the lake. These are the world's oldest moldy fungi, which settled on the bottom long before the salt level in the water increased. There are also viruses living in the sea that are perfectly adapted to this concentration of salt, but they do not pose a danger to humans.
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Red and Dead Sea
The saltiest seas in the world's oceans are two: the Red and the Dead. At the same time, it is difficult to consider the Dead as a sea as such. It's more of a lake than a sea. Therefore, they are placed alternately in 1st and 2nd places when answering the question about the saltiest sea on the planet.
The world ocean is a single integral natural body that occupies 2/3 of the entire area of the globe. Sea water, of which it is composed, is the most abundant substance on the surface of the Earth. It differs from fresh water in its bitter-salty taste, specific gravity, transparency and color, more aggressive effect on building materials and other properties. This is explained by the content of more than 50 different components in sea water.
Theoretically, sea water contains all known chemical elements, but their weight content is different.
Of the total amount of dissolved substances, 99.6% are halide salts of sodium, potassium, magnesium and sulfates of magnesium and calcium, and only 0.4% of the salt composition accounts for the remaining substances. The table shows that only 13 elements of the “periodic table” are contained in quantities of more than 0.1 mg/l. Even such important elements for many processes in the ocean (especially for the life of marine organisms) as phosphorus, iodine, iron, along with calcium, sulfur, carbon and some others, are contained in quantities less than 0.1 mg/l. Seawater also contains organic substances in the form of living matter and in the form of dissolved “inert” organic substances, amounting to a total of about 2 mg/l.
| Chlorine | 19500 |
| Carbon | 20 |
| Sulfur | 910 |
| Strontium | 13 |
| Sodium | 10833 |
| Bor | 4,5 |
| Potassium | 390 |
| Silicon | 0,5 |
| Magnesium | 1311 |
| Fluorine | 1 |
| Calcium | 412 |
| Rubidium | 0,2 |
| Bromine | 65 |
| Nitrogen | 0,1 |
What determines the salinity of the sea?
The salt composition of sea water differs sharply from the salt composition of river water, but is close to the waters released during volcanic eruptions, or hot springs, fed from the deep bowels of the Earth. River water also contains dissolved substances, the amount of which very much depends on physical and geographical conditions.
The greater the amount of evaporation, the greater the salinity of sea water, since salts remain during evaporation. Changes in salinity are greatly influenced by oceanic and coastal currents, the removal of fresh water by large rivers, and the mixing of ocean and sea waters. In depth, fluctuations in salinity occur only up to 1500 m; below that, salinity changes insignificantly.
Large-scale features of salinity distribution in the World Ocean have good stability. Over the past 50 years, no significant changes have been noticed in the salt state of the World Ocean, and it is generally accepted that its state is on average stationary.
Composition and features of the Red Sea
Red sea. 1 liter of its water contains 41 g of salts. On average, no more than 100 mm of atmospheric precipitation falls over the sea per year, while the amount of evaporation from its surface reaches 2000 mm per year. In the complete absence of river flow, this creates a constant deficit in the water balance of the sea, for the replenishment of which there is only one source - the supply of water from Gulf of Aden. During the year, approximately 1,000 cubic meters are introduced into the sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. km of water is more than is removed from it. Moreover, according to calculations, it takes only 15 years for the complete exchange of Red Sea waters.
In the Red Sea, the water is very well and evenly mixed. In winter, surface waters cool, become denser and sink, while warm waters from the depths rise upward. In summer, water evaporates from the surface of the sea, and the remaining water becomes saltier, heavier and sinks. Less salty water rises in its place. Thus, all year round the water in the sea is intensively mixed, and throughout its entire volume the sea is the same in temperature and salinity, except in the depressions.
The discovery of depressions with hot brines in the Red Sea was a real scientific discovery in the 60s of the twentieth century. To date, more than 20 such depressions have been discovered in the deepest areas. The brine temperature is in the range of 30-60°C and increases by 0.3-0.7°C per year. This means that the depressions are heated from below by the internal heat of the Earth. Observers who dived into the depressions on submersibles said that the brines do not merge with the surrounding water, but are clearly distinct from it and look like silty soil covered with ripples, or like swirling fog. Chemical analyzes have shown that the content of many metals in brines, including precious ones, is hundreds and thousands of times higher than in ordinary sea water.
The absence of coastal runoff (or, more simply, rivers and rain streams), and therefore dirt from the land, ensures fabulous water transparency. The water temperature is stable all year round - 20-25°C. All these factors have contributed to the richness and uniqueness of marine life in the Red Sea.
Facts about the Dead Sea
Dead Sea located in Western Asia in Israel and Jordan. It is located in a tectonic depression formed as a result of the so-called Afro-Asian fault, which occurred in the era somewhere between the end of the Tertiary and the beginning of the Quaternary period, that is, more than 2 million years ago.
The area of the Dead Sea is 1050 square meters. m, depth 356 meters. The only river Jordan flows into it, but it is also fed by numerous mineral springs. The sea has no outlet and is drainless, therefore it is more correct to call it a lake.
The surface of the Dead Sea is 400 meters below the level of the World Ocean (the deepest low point Globe). In its current shape, the Dead Sea has existed for more than 5,000 years, during which time a sedimentary silt layer more than 100 meters thick has accumulated on its bottom.
Over the years, under the hot rays of the sun, the water of the Dead Sea evaporated and minerals accumulated, increasing the salinity of the sea. These conditions largely determine the unique composition of the water and mud of the Dead Sea.
Dead Sea salinity
In terms of the composition of its salts, the Dead Sea differs sharply from all other seas on the planet. The salinity of the Dead Sea is 8 times that of Atlantic Ocean and 40 times Baltic Sea. While in the waters of other seas the sodium chloride content makes up 77% of the total salt composition, in the waters of the Dead Sea its share is 25-30%, and the share of magnesium salts accounts for up to 50%, the bromine content is a record: 80 times higher, than in the Atlantic Ocean.
The high salinity of the Dead Sea water explains its high density, which is 1.3-1.4 g/cm3. The increase in water density with depth apparently creates the pushing effect when immersed in water. The water of the Dead Sea has a high content of trace elements such as copper, zinc, cobalt and others. The peculiarities of the Dead Sea water include a high pH value of 9.
The Dead Sea is a hypersaline closed lake, one of the most unique places on Earth. I suggest you get acquainted with 10 interesting facts about this amazing place, some of which you probably didn’t know about
2. The depth of the Dead Sea is 377 meters, it is the deepest salt Lake on the ground. It is worth clarifying here that a hypersaline lake is a landlocked body of water that contains high concentrations of table salt or other mineral salts, with a salinity level superior to ocean water
3. With a salinity of 33.7%, the Dead Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. Although Lake Assal (Djibouti) and the McMurdo Frozen Lakes in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica may have slightly higher salinity
4. The unusually high concentration of salt means that people can easily float on the surface of the water naturally. In this respect, the Dead Sea is similar to the Salt Lake in Utah, USA
5. The water here is about 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. This percentage of salinity makes the water unsuitable for living beings, although tiny bacteria and microfungi are still present in it
6. The length of the Dead Sea is 67 kilometers, and the width at its maximum point is 18 kilometers. Main tributary The lake is the Jordan River, and it is located above the East African Rift Zone
7. The Dead Sea area has become a major center for health research and there are several key reasons for this. The mineral content of the water is unique, there is practically no pollen or other allergens in the atmosphere, due to the great depth there is less ultraviolet in solar radiation, and the atmospheric pressure is higher, which generally has a beneficial effect on health
8. According to the Bible, the Dead Sea was a refuge for King David. In addition, this is one of the first resorts in the world, as well as a supplier of a wide variety of products, from balms for Egyptian mummification to all kinds of fertilizers
9. An unusual feature of the sea is that natural asphalt forms here in the form of small pieces of a black substance. During the excavations, many figurines and other objects were discovered, including human skulls from Neolithic times, covered with this black bitumen. During Egyptian mummification, bitumen from the Dead Sea was also used
10. The lowest road in the world - Highway 90, runs along the coast of the Israeli and west bank Jordan River at a depth of 393 meters below sea level