The Dead Sea was one of the world’s first health resorts (for Herod the Great). Plus, people also use the salt and the minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets. It has a density of 1.240 kg/L, which makes swimming similar to floating. Continue reading for more.
5. Health Effects
The Dead Sea area has become a major center for health research and treatment for several reasons. The mineral content of the water, the very low content of pollens and other allergens in the atmosphere, the reduced ultraviolet component of solar radiation, and the higher atmospheric pressure at this great depth each have specific health effects.
4. Life
The Dead Sea is roughly 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish (hence its name). The high salinity prevents macroscopic aquatic organisms such as fish and aquatic plants from living in it, though minuscule quantities of bacteria and microbial fungi are present.
3. Buoyancy
With 33.7% salinity, the Dead Sea is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water. Although Lake Assal (Djibouti), Garabogazkol and some hypersaline lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica (such as Don Juan Pond) have reported higher salinities. The Dead Sea’s unusually high salt concentration means that people can easily float in the Dead Sea due to natural buoyancy. In this respect the Dead Sea is similar to the Great Salt Lake in Utah in the United States.
2. Hypersaline Lake
The Dead Sea is 377 m (1,237 ft) deep, making it the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. A hypersaline lake is a landlocked body of water that contains significant concentrations of sodium chloride or other mineral salts, with saline levels surpassing that of ocean water.
1. Surface
The surface and shores of the Dead Sea are 423 meters (1,388 ft) below sea level, which makes it Earth’s lowest elevation on land. A more recent hypothesis is that the Dead Sea basin is a consequence of a “step-over” discontinuity along the Dead Sea Transform, creating an extension of the crust with consequent subsidence.
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