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    • Researchers discover meter-high mineral chimneys in Dead Sea, potential
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    Researchers discover meter-high mineral chimneys in Dead Sea, potential

    Umito Posted on

    Researchers have discovered astonishing mineral formations at the bottom of the Dead Sea, including meter-high chimneys formed by the spontaneous crystallization of minerals from groundwater with extremely high salt content. Called “white smokers,” these vents are formed by the expulsion of hypersaline liquid from the lake floor and have proven to be an important early warning indicator for sinkholes.

    The research team’s findings were reported in the journal Science of the Total Environment and subsequently published in Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Science Daily, among others.

    The scientists, including Dr. Christian Siebert, hydrogeologist at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ), studied the changing dynamics of the groundwater system in this region. Divers deployed by Dr. Siebert identified strange chimney-shaped vents at the bottom of the lake, many of which were one to two meters high, but some reached more than seven meters in height and diameters of two to three meters. These vents resemble hydrothermal vents found at ocean ridges, but “the system is completely different,” according to Dr. Siebert.

    The vents are formed by the spontaneous crystallization of minerals when groundwater with extremely high salt content flows from the lake bottom. These groundwaters, originating from surrounding aquifers, penetrate the lake’s saline sediments, leaching layers of extremely old and thick rocks consisting primarily of the mineral halite. Groundwater becomes charged with salt and turns into brine. As this brine has a slightly lower density than Dead Sea water, it rises like a jet. “It looks like smoke, but it’s a saline liquid,” Dr. Siebert explained.

    Contact with lake water causes dissolved salts, particularly halite, to spontaneously crystallize after they leave the lake bed. This precipitation gradually leads to the formation of these astonishing chimneys, which can grow several centimeters in size in a single day. The salts settle quickly and form luminous columns, giving these formations their name “white smokers”.

    The discovery of these chimneys is particularly important because they can provide an exceptional forecasting tool for locating areas at risk of collapse in the near future. Sinkholes, subsidence craters measuring up to 100 meters wide and up to 20 meters deep, have formed near the Dead Sea in recent decades, posing a significant risk to the population. These sinkholes are formed by the karstification of the subsoil, caused by the dissolution of massive layers of salt due to the circulation of groundwater. This karstification forms giant cavities above which the ground can collapse at any time.

    The research team was able to show that the chimneys had formed where the ground surface had subsequently collapsed over a large area. The karstification process was apparently particularly effective in these areas. “This makes White Smokers an exceptional forecasting tool for locating areas that are at risk of collapse in the near future,” said Christian Siebert. “To date, no one can predict where the next sinkholes will occur. They are also life-threatening and a threat to agriculture and infrastructure.”

    Autonomous boats equipped with multibeam echo sounders or side-scan sonar systems could be used to map the vents with a high degree of precision. “This would be the only method to date, and a very effective one, to identify regions at risk of imminent collapse,” Dr. Siebert explained. Such mapping could enable very good predictions of which areas are at risk of collapse in the near future.

    The Dead Sea, located between Israel, Jordan and the West Bank, is a very dynamic system and ecosystem of extremes. Over the past 50 years, a notable drop in the level of the Dead Sea has been observed, by almost a meter per year, reaching approximately 438 meters below sea level. This sinking is due to the fact that the sea Morte is cut off from its main tributaries and, due to drought and heat, it loses a lot of water through high evaporation. The drop in water levels has significant consequences, particularly on groundwater.

    Groundwater levels in the region are falling, making it increasingly difficult for neighboring countries to access groundwater resources. The circulation of fresh water through the ancient saline sediments present in the subsoil of the region would be at the origin of the formation of sinkholes. Researchers from various fields have been studying the decline of the Dead Sea for several years to understand the changing dynamics of the region.

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    This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq



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