莫诺湖的石灰华地层，加利福尼亚州，美国 Tufa formations on Mono Lake, California (© Susanna Patras/TANDEM Stills + Motion)

石灰华塔的崛起 The rise of tufa

加州莫诺湖上石灰岩的形成

在时间的缓慢流逝下，凝灰岩——一种多孔石灰岩，成为大自然中最壮观的地貌之一。虽然这些塔在许多地方都能找到，但今天的图片展示的是加利福尼亚州莫诺县的莫诺湖。当富含钙质的淡水从几条小溪流入湖中，与湖中的碱性水混合后，就形成了这些结构。几个世纪以来，这种相互作用导致碳酸钙堆积，在湖面上形成了石灰华塔。为了保护这些塔，加利福尼亚州议会于1981年建立了莫诺湖图法国家自然保护区。

莫诺湖是一个迷人的沙漠湖泊，湖水呈弱碱性，没有天然出口。这里的生态系统欣欣向荣，生活着数十亿只盐水虾和碱蝇。这些小生物是加利福尼亚海鸥和黑颈䴙䴘等各种候鸟必不可少的零嘴。太平洋航道是鸟类从阿拉斯加一直飞往巴塔哥尼亚的主要迁徙路线，而莫诺湖作为食物供应地，是航道上一个极为重要的中转站。

Tufa formations in Mono Lake, California

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 shows some at Mono Lake in Mono County, California. These structures develop when calcium-rich fresh water, percolating up through springs and vents, mixes with carbonate in the lake. 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.

Mono Lake is a fascinating desert lake with hypersaline and alkaline waters and no natural outlet. It supports a thriving ecosystem teeming with billions of brine shrimp and alkali flies. These tiny creatures are essential snacks for a variety of migratory birds, like California gulls and eared grebes. As a food source, Mono Lake is a critical pit stop along the Pacific Flyway, a major migration route for birds journeying from Alaska all the way south to Patagonia.

标签: 美国, 加利福尼亚