Lake Magadi, Rift Valley, Kenya * November 2013 * Fuji X-E1
Lake Magadi is a saline, alkaline lake, 100 square kilometers large, in the southern most region of the Kenyan Rift Valley. The water, a dense sodium carbonate brine, generates the mineral trona (sodium sesquicarbonate), up to 40 m thick in select areas, which makes the lake PINK (!). Tata Chemicals Magadi is Africa's largest producer of soda ash, primarily used in glass production, and its facility is the source of employment for those brave enough to live in this unearthly, scorching terrain.
The lake is recharged by saline hot springs (up to 86°C) that discharge into alkaline "lagoons" around the lake margins. On the weekend of the solar eclipse, three friends and I ventured to find these hot springs.