Why Is Dead Sea The World’s Lowest Lake?

The Dead Sea is the world's lowest lake. It is called as "Sea of Salt" in Hebrew and in Arabic, "The Sea of Death." It is a salt lake in southwestern Asia which is bounded on the west by Israel and the West Bank on the east of Jordan. As of 1996, the surface of the Dead Sea is 408 meters (1,340 feet) below sea level and is considered as the Earth's lowest water surface.

Known as the world's lowest lake, the Dead Sea is also known as the deepest hyper saline lake in the world. In 2011, its salinity was recorded at 34.2 percent, 9.6 times as salty as the ocean. It is also known as one of the world's saltiest bodies of water.

The Dead Sea's unusually high salt concentration means that people can easily float in the Dead Sea due to natural buoyancy, based on the Interesting Facts Blog. The Dead Sea is considered similar to the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

The Dead Sea is considered as the world's lowest lake because of its below-sea-level depressions. According to Geology.com, most major depressions are associated with tectonic plate and the Dead Sea is located in a deep valley at the transform boundary between the African and Arabia Plates. At over 400 meters below sea level, it is the land area with the lowest elevation.

Most land that is below sea level is located in an area with a very dry climate. The dry climate offers very little rain and very high evaporation. This excess of evaporation over precipitation prevents the depression from filling with water. And the salt deposits of the world's lowest lake is a product of high evaporation rate.

The Dead Sea Depression is an extensive area of land that is below sea level. It contains the world's lowest lake, the Sea of Galilee, a portion of the Jordan River, large areas of cultivated land and many communities. The shoreline of the Dead Sea is the lowest dry land on Earth. However, its elevation is constantly changing.

The surface of the Dead Sea rises and falls as precipitation, evaporation, irrigation, salt production and other natural and human activities consume the water of the Jordan River, the Dead Sea and its streams.

Meanwhile, the Dead Sea is economically important as a source of potash, bromine, gypsum, salt, and other chemical products, which are mined cheaply. The Dead Sea shores are of growing significance as a winter health resort. The Twisted Sifter also said the Dead Sea area has become a major center for health research and treatment.

In dry regions, some freshwater lakes become salty over time. Encyclopedia.com said that because the water in these lakes evaporates quickly, the salt from inflowing waters reaches a high concentration. Among the world's greatest salt lakes are the Caspian Sea, Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea, which is the lowest lake in the world.

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