Mono Lake Tufa Tower (Photography)

A tufa tower is captured at dusk in Mono Lake.

Mono Lake is a large, shallow saline soda lake in Mono County, California that was formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean (which has caused high levels of salts to accumulate).

Calcium carbonate deposits form where fresh-water springs percolate through lake-bottom sediments and saline lake water. The calcium in the fresh water combines with carbonate in the saline lake water to create the delicate white tufa towers along the shore of Mono Lake.

Photographer: Carol Highsmith
Date: 2012
Location: California