Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a hypersaline lake bordered by Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank. Its shoreline lies at Earth’s lowest exposed land elevation.

Hypersalinity: A condition in which water contains exceptionally high concentrations of dissolved salts. The lake’s salt concentration far exceeds that of ordinary seawater.
Dead Sea mud: Mineral-rich sediment from the Dead Sea basin used in skin-care products and treatments. Its mineral content and cosmetic reputation support a regional tourism industry.
Dead Sea sinkholes: Ground collapses formed when underground cavities develop in sediments near the retreating Dead Sea shore. Falling water levels help groundwater dissolve buried salt layers, destabilizing the ground.
Dead Sea Rift: A continental rift valley extending from the Gulf of Aqaba northward through the Levant. The Dead Sea occupies one of the rift’s deepest basins.
Great Salt Lake: A saline terminal lake in Utah, United States, whose size and salinity vary with water inflow. It is another shrinking, salt-rich lake, but lies in a different tectonic and climatic setting.
Evaporation: The change by which a liquid becomes vapor at its surface. Strong evaporation removes water while leaving most dissolved salts behind.
Potash: Water-soluble potassium salts used chiefly in fertilizer production. Commercial extraction from Dead Sea brines supplies potash for agriculture.
Dead Sea water level: The elevation of the Dead Sea’s surface, which has declined substantially in recent decades. Its continuing fall records the lake’s changing water balance.
Lake Lisan: A large prehistoric lake that occupied the Dead Sea basin during the last ice age. Its sediment deposits preserve evidence of earlier lake levels and climate.
Lake Assal: A highly saline crater lake in Djibouti and one of the lowest points in Africa. It offers a comparison with another exceptionally saline lake at very low elevation.

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