The saltwater lake at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is so toxic that it kills and mummifies nearly all animals unfortunate enough to swim into it.
Remote-controlled vehicles exploring the saltwater lake. (Video: Nautilus Live)
A deadly, extremely salty lake at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is also known as the “Despair Bath.” The conditions in this lake are so toxic that only certain bacteria and a few hardy animals can survive. Researchers discovered the “Despair Bath” during an expedition in 2015 aimed at studying cold seeps in the deep waters of the Gulf. A cold seep is a place where hydrocarbons, key components of oil and gas, escape from the seabed into the water column. In the Gulf of Mexico, hydrocarbons are released due to the movement of salt layers in the Earth’s crust, which formed when water evaporated from an ancient sea millions of years ago, according to Live Science.
The expedition team nicknamed this particular cold seep “Despair Bath” after they found crabs and numerous other creatures dead in the lake’s sinkhole-like structure. The seep is located nearly 1,000 meters below sea level, with a circumference of 30.5 meters and a depth of 3.7 meters.
The cold seep is located nearly 1,000 meters below sea level.
The salty water in the lake is a result of hydrocarbons bubbling up through buried salt layers, according to expedition findings published in 2016 in the journal Oceanography. This saltwater is four times saltier and much denser than the surrounding seawater, preventing the two types of water from mixing. The temperature inside the lake reaches up to 19 degrees Celsius, combined with the high salinity, creating lethal conditions for most organisms. The saltwater also contains high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and methane, allowing only certain organisms like clams to endure.
The lake is surrounded by steep walls, containing various mineral flows in red, yellow, and white, as well as clam beds. According to a researcher from the expedition team, the clams have effectively preserved the integrity of the lake’s walls. Inside the lake lie the mummified remains of many unfortunate creatures that have wandered in.
