This might look like the surface of some distant planet, but Spotted Lake is much closer to home. Just north of the US border in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, the lake"s strange coloration is due to its high concentrations of mineral deposits. It"s a protected cultural site of the Syilx/Okanagan Nation for its healing properties. Spotted Lake is an endorheic lake, which is a basin where water collects but has no river or sea to drain into. The water level rises with rainfall during autumn and winter, but when the days grow hotter and drier in the summertime, the water evaporates and the surface of the lake lowers. It"s during these hot, dry summers in the Okanagan when Spotted Lake earns its name—large "spots" in varying hues of blue, green, or yellow become more prominent as the water level drops. The area"s closed to the public, but you can get a decent view from the highway. Binoculars recommended.
Spotted Lake emerges
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Black History Month
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Autumn’s swan song
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Dark Sky Week
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New Year s Day
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New Orleans for Mardi Gras
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Porto Timoni beach, Greece
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Buddha in the roots of a tree, Ayutthaya, Thailand
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Life in the slow lane
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Windmills in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands
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World Otter Day
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That s quite a schnoz, baby tapir
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Bear watching in the Finnish forest
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Overseas Highway, Florida Keys
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Amelia Earhart
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International Surfing Day
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A big birthday for Big Bend
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A valley view at 9,000 feet
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National Audubon Society s Christmas Bird Count
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The Christmas Bird Count begins
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Daylight saving time
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Nature Photography Day
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Celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day
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World Penguin Day
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International Surfing Day
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New Year’s Day in the land of the rising sun
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Wyoming celebrates its statehood
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Celebrating a Paris landmark
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Looking down on the Otter
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Paris is photo-ready this week
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Morocco in bloom