What is Salt lake?
[[File:Winter at Bonneville Salt Flats.jpg|right|thumb|Bonneville Salt Flats during the winter has about 1 inch of water on it]] [[File:Bonneville Salt Flats.jpg|right|thumb|Bonneville Salt Flats during the summer]] A '''salt lake''', or '''saline lake''', is a lake with a lot of [[sodium chloride]] and other dissolved minerals in the water. It is often defined as three [[gram]]s or more of salt per litre. In some cases, salt lakes have more salt than sea water: they are called [[hypersaline]] lakes. An [[alkaline]] salt lake with a high content of [[carbonate]] is called a [[soda lake]]. Salt lakes can be put into categories based on [[salinity]]:<ref>{{cite book |last=Hammer U.T. |title=Saline lake ecosystems of the world |url=https://archive.org/details/salinelakeecosys0000hamm |location= |publisher=Springer |year=1986 |page=[https://archive.org/details/salinelakeecosys0000hamm/page/n30 15] |isbn=90-6193-535-0 }}</ref> *subsaline 0.5–3 ‰ (parts per thousand) *hyposaline 3–20 ‰ *mesosaline 20–50 ‰ *hypersaline greater than 50 ‰ Salt lakes form when the water flowing into the lake, containing salt or minerals, cannot leave. This is because the lake is [[Endorheic basin|endorheic]] (a dead end). The water then [[evaporation|evaporates]], leaving behind any dissolved salts. This increases its [[salinity]]. Salt lakes are an excellent place for salt production. High salinity will also lead to a unique [[flora]] and [[fauna]] in the lake. Sometimes the large amount of salt means there is little life in or near the lake. If the amount of water flowing into a lake is less than the amount evaporated, the lake will eventually disappear and leave a [[dry lake]]: a 'playa', salt flat or salt pan. ==Related pages== *[[Great Salt Lake]] **[[Bonneville Salt Flats]] *[[Dead Sea]] *[[Aral Sea]] *[[Caspian Sea]] *[[Salton Sea]] *[[Lake Urmia]] *[[Lake Natron]] *[[Mono Lake]] == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Lakes]] [[Category:Ecosystems]]