The Living Dead Sea

 

Situated on the border of Israel and Jordan, the Dead Sea is the world's saltiest body of water and the lowest point on earth at 1,388 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea is not actually a sea but a huge salt lake with ten times more salinity than the ocean. However, as its name implies, no marine life can exist in its waters (not even bacteria).

 

The Dead Sea is created by two geological factors. One, the lake itself is splitting apart due to a rift in the tectonic plates that are slowly moving apart. Rift activity explains how the world's smallest sea (at only 11 miles wide and 50 miles long) was formed.

 

So why is the Dead Sea so salty?

1. The Dead Sea is fed by the Jordan River which begins in the Golan Heights (mountains which border Israel and Syria).

2. All fresh water has trace amounts of salt which dissolved and carried to the ocean. This explains why oceans and the Dead Sea have a high saline content.  

3. Because the Dead Sea is lower than the surrounding area, the water cannot continue on to the ocean as what usually happens.

4. The Dea Sea area also is located in a desert. The rate of evaporation combined with the lack of an outlet for the Jordan River has created what scientists call a hypersaline lake. (That's geek speak for super salty water).

 

The Dead Sea and dry climate make any form of agricultural activity impossible. However, since Biblical times the salty mineral water, thick mineral mud, and hot springs created by rift activity has made this place a hot spot (pun intended) for people seeking medical treatment and a little R&R. Some of the more famous Dead Celebs who bathed in its waters are Cleopatra and King Herod. Today, resorts and hotels draw in tourists from all around the world making it a major source of income for both Israel and Jordan.