salt crust on Lake Natron in Tanzania

Wacky Weekend: Weird Waters

Discover the strange waters of Colombia, Thailand, and Spain when you dive into the images of rivers, lakes, and other splashy spots in the photo gallery below.

The salty crust on the surface of Lake Natron in Tanzania, a country in Africa, gets its red color from the pigment of salt-loving microorganisms that live in the water.
Photograph by Gerry Ellis, Minden Pictures
The color of Spain’s Rio Tinto is caused by sulfide minerals from nearby mining. NASA scientists have studied the river because similar mineral deposits might be found on Mars.
The color of Spain’s Rio Tinto is caused by sulfide minerals from nearby mining. NASA scientists have studied the river because similar mineral deposits might be found on Mars.
Photograph by Juan Carlos Munoz, NPL, Minden Pictures