Pink Lake Hillier

We all know that water bodies are marked with blue on the map.

But nature likes to mess with us and creates oddities just like Lake Hillier in Australia.

With its mere 600 meters in length, Lake Hillier is not one that will impress you by its size. Nor will it impress you by its diverse fishes that inhabit it.

Lake Hillier delights your eye with its pink colour. Moreover, it lies just next to the Pacific Ocean, thus if we watch it from above, the contrast between the mellow pink of the lake and the blue of the ocean is striking.

The reason of its unique colour is still a mystery which is still not understand by scientists, although most suspect it has to do with the presence of the Dunaliella salina microalgae. The Dunaliella produces carotenoids, a pigment found in carrots as well. But the presence of halophilic bacteria in the salt crusts could be another explanation. A reaction between the salt and the sodium bicarbonate that is found in the water may cause it as well.