Turkish Lake Salda offers visitors terrestrial Martian experience
BURDUR - Anatolia News Agency
Located four kilometers outside of Yeşilova, the lake, which has crystal clear water, is the deepest in the country with a depth of 184 meters. Nestled amongst the Toros Mountains the lake is 193 meters above sea level. AA photos
Lake Salda in the town of Yeşilova tucked away in the Mediterranean province of Burdur is one of two places in the world which are said to have similar rock structures as the planet Mars. The lake aslo draws attention for its white sandy beach.Located four kilometers outside of Yeşilova, the lake, which has crystal clear water, is the deepest in the country with a depth of 184 meters. Nestled amongst the Toros Mountains the lake is 193 meters above sea level. The lake’s water, which has crater features, is rich in magnesium and clay and the lake’s beach has turned a beautiful white due to the magnesium in its waters. Lake Salda is a first degree archeological site and a tourism center.
The white beach draws the attention of scholars since it resembles the ground images of Mars. Professor Mike Russel of Scotland’s Glasgow University and his team came to Yeşilova in 1996 for scientific researches about the ground and soil structure of Lake Salda.
After four years of scientific research Russel and his team found that the white rocks, which are full of magnesium, were similar to the structure of rocks found on Mars.
According to the scientific research, there are only two places in the world which share the same features as the planet Mars. Aside from Lake Salda there is another area located in northern Canada.
A documentary film was made on Lake Salda by the British Broadcast Channel (BBC) in 2000 which focused on this feature of the lake.
Meanwhile, because of the structure of the lake’s waters, experts have pointed out that they received positive results in some dermatologic disorders thanks to the magnesium and clay in the lake.
Speaking to Anatolia news agency, Yeşilova Mayor Nuri Özbek said that because of its features Lake Salda sparkles at night.
“There is magnesium and magnesite on Mars and Lake Salda has the same minerals. When an object is thrown into the lake, it is covered with a white layer sometime later, which shows that the lake still produces magnesite,” said Özbek.
According to Özbek, the lake has healed diseases in people such as acne and fungi, according to experts. Visitors can both heal themselves and have a vacation at the same time, he said, adding that a group of scholars from Pamukkale University carried out research on an aquarium fish called ‘Aphanius Splendens’. Özbek also said the beach never became extremely hot because of the magnesium in its water.
