A Wonder of Nature: Tuz Gölü
40% of Turkey's salt need is supplied from this lake. Salt in Tuz Gölü is formed when meteorological waters infiltrate underground, dissolve previously formed salt domes and carry them to the surface along tectonic lines. Tuz Gölü, the second largest lake in Turkey by area, is deep at the bottom of a large tectonic depression buried within migration plateaus. This depression was formed by tectonic movements in Neogene. The trough in Tuz Gölü is its location with faults from the east, west and south. In the Quaternary, the area of the lake shrank in less rainy climatic conditions. The lake, which has gotten smaller at times, has reached today's costs.
Salt Lake, with a precipitation area of 11,900 km², is a closed basin lake with no outflow. Despite the width of the precipitation area, water resources are weak. The region is one of the areas with the least precipitation in Turkey, with an average annual precipitation of 324 mm/m². The streams that bring water to the lake are the streams whose waters decrease in the summer or dry up completely. These are Peçenek Çayı coming from Şereflikoçhisar, Melendiz Çayı coming from Aksaray, İnsuyu, Karasu and Kırkdelik Çayları coming from the south and west.
The average water level of the lake is around 40 cm, and in May, when precipitation increases, it is approximately 110 cm. In August, the lake dries up to a large extent. The high salt content causes salt sedimentation of 10-30 cm, which is renewed every year in most of the lake area as a result of evaporation. Towards the end of summer, it is possible to walk between the Kaldırım Tuzlası and the opposite shore. In this season, the salinity rate reaches a remarkable 329 per thousand. In terms of chemical composition, a saltiness in the character of salt (sodium chloride) is dominant here.
Salt accumulation in the lake is due to various factors. The presence of the Oligocene formation containing gypsum and salt layers in the surrounding played an important role in the salinization of the lake. However, it has been determined that salty waters come from the sources at the bottom of the lake. The shallowness of the lake and the intense evaporation are other factors of salt deposition. The salt layer deposited as a result of evaporation in the summer is excavated by machinery and collected in salt pans. These saltworks are called as Kaldırım, Kayacık and Yavşan saltworks.
The vast water area covered in winter constitutes an important wintering area for waterfowl. In addition to flamingo, kılıçgaga, angıt and similar birds that have adapted to salty environments, yağmurcunlar, turnalar, wild geese and wild ducks live in large groups in the lake. Due to the relatively desolate surroundings of the lake, birds can easily feed in the surrounding puddles, pastures and cultivated areas, and swim in the unfrozen lake waters even in the coldest days of winter. The islands and swamps formed in the lake in spring include Bataklık Kırlangıcı (Glareola prantincola), Suna (Tadorna tadorna), Angıt (Tadorna ferruginea), Çamurcun (Anas crecca), Kılıçgaga (Recurvirostra avocetta), Kocagöz (Burhinus oedicnemus) and gull species (Larus sp.) to incubate.
It is known that walking barefoot on the salt lake surface is beneficial. There are a total of 22 types of minerals in the lake. It has been stated that these minerals are naturally good against odor, eczema and athlete's foot on the feet. It is also known to be beneficial for rheumatism and joint pain. Of course, it should be known that these benefits do not mean that they can eliminate these ailments, but that they benefit the treatment process.
