Tufa towers at Mono Lake
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Tufa towers at Mono Lake

by Jessica Kelln

Mono lake is a closed, large, shallow saline soda lake. It was formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin and is one of the oldest lakes in North America. The tufa towers were originally formed at the bottom of the lake over many decades or even centuries. When the sea level of the lake fell, the tufa towers came to rise above the water surface and stand as the majestic pillars seen today.