UPSC Articles
Salt-loving bacteria turned Lonar lake pink
Part of: GS Prelims – Geography; Science
In news:
- Recent study revealed that the colour of water in Lonar lake in Maharashtra is due to a large presence of the salt-loving Haloarchaea microbes.
- Haloarchaea or halophilic archaea is a bacteria culture, which produces pink pigment, and found in water saturated with salt.
- Absence of rain, less human interference and high temperature could have resulted in the evaporation of water, increasing salinity and pH levels in the lake.
Pic: Lonar Lake
About Lonar Lake
- The 56,000-year-old Lonar crater sanctuary lake in Buldhana district, Maharashtra has turned red/pink, most probably due to salinity and presence of halophilic archaea bacteria in the water body.
- Lonar Lake was created by a meteor impact during the Pleistocene Epoch.
- It is the only known hyper velocity meteorite crater in basaltic rock anywhere on Earth.
- It was notified as a National Geo-heritage Monument in 1979 by Geological Survey of India (GSI).
