Tufa formation on Mono Lake, California, United States 5 Dec 2024

Shaped by the slow passage of time, tufa—a type of porous limestone—emerges as one of nature"s most spectacular formations. While these towers can be found in many places, today"s image showcases them at Mono Lake in Mono County, California, United States. These structures develop when calcium-rich fresh water, flowing into the lake from several creeks and streams, mixes with the lake"s alkaline water. Over centuries, this interaction caused calcium carbonate to build up, forming tufa spires above the lake"s surface. To preserve the tufa towers, the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve was established in 1981 by the California State Legislature.

© Susanna Patras/TANDEM Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Santa slalom
5 Dec 2023Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany
5 Dec 2025Maya site of Copán

More Desktop Wallpapers:

19 Aug 2025The Three Musketeers Falls at Iguazú Falls, Argentina
Aug 30, 2023International Whale Shark Day
3 Aug 2026Colourful boats in Marsaxlokk Harbour, Malta
10 Oct 2025Fiji Day
8 Jan 2024Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
24 Apr 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
A longstanding ode to love
Waterborne wizardry
26 Jun 2026The River Thames, London
27 Jun 2024Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy
26 Jul 2026International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
9 Apr 2025Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
1 Nov 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
16 May 2024International Day of Light
9 Mar 2024Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico, USA
Home of the worst-smelling food?
A fox in the dunes
1 Feb 2025Königstein Fortress, Saxon Switzerland, Germany
Huddled and hunting
22 Mar 2024World Water Day
3 Aug 2024Three Natural Bridges, Wulong National Park, China
11 Jun 2024Gemsboks in the savannah, Botswana
Beauty beneath the surface
30 Sept 2026Male bearded reedling, Norfolk, England
13 Mar 2024Lake Magadi, Kenya
2 Jul 2025Spine-cheeked anemonefish
Masterpiece of acoustic engineering
The beauty of intricate carvings
30 Jan 2025Rolands Breach, Spain
Keep practising, little guy