Spotted
Lake of Osoyoos
British
Columbia Canada
Spotted
Lake of Osoyoos was sacred to the First Nations of Okanagan Valley Indians.
Osoyoos means narrowing waters in the Okanagan language, and is used to
describe what happens to the lake. The lake is a saline endorheic lake, which
means it is a closed body of water with no outflow or inflow from other bodies
of water.
The lake has high concentrates of many different minerals, and
contains some of the highest quantities of magnesium sulfate, calcium and
sodium sulfates in the world. There are also eight other lesser minerals in the
water, including small amounts of silver and titanium. The minerals in the lake
are very beneficial, and were mined during WWI to use in the making of
ammunition for the war. The minerals are what give the lake its uniqueness.
During the summer, as the water evaporates, spots are formed which have
different colors depending on which mineral is most present. The spots
crystallize and form walkways of different colors. The colors can be white,
yellow, blue or green. The lake is on private property and they allow very
little public access.
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