There’s an underwater pool that kills everything venturing into it
Recent reports suggest that the Gulf of Aqaba underneath the Red Sea harbours a deadly pool that kills practically anything swimming into it. This site is surprisingly close to land, only 1.25 miles off the coast of Egypt and is 1.7 kilometres beneath the surface of water. Notably, all the brine pools in the Red Sea were so far situated at least 15.5 miles offshore.
The discovery of this brine pool is credited to a team of researchers at the University of Miami, US. Interestingly, this fatal pool was a chance discovery. This is how it happened. In 2020, a team of researchers sent a remotely-operated underwater vehicle to explore the northern pocket of the Red Sea. It found the pool in the last five minutes of a 10-hour-long expedition. Dramatic indeed! But the question is, what makes this pool fatal? Well, you will find the answer in the definition of brine pool itself. It is geographical structure that is not only way saltier than the surrounding ocean, but is also devoid of oxygen and loaded with a host of harsh chemical components. So, whenever an ‘unlucky’ sea animal swims into the pool, it gets killed immediately.
Brine pools around the world
Do we have these underwater lakes only in the Red Sea? The answer is no! There are two other water bodies that host such deadly deep-sea brine pools: The Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea. However, it is the Red Sea that has the most of them. But one thing is certain: Even in these places, brine pools are rare. Till date, there are only a few dozens of them all over the world. Surprisingly, these dangerous death traps are tiny in size, spanning for only a few square miles.
Brine Pools: How are they formed?
First things first, these killer brine pools were formed during the Miocene epoch, which was somewhere between 23 million and 5.3 million years ago. This was also when the sea level was much lower than what it is today. If the formation of these death traps intrigues you, then you are reading the right article. They were formed when hypersaline solution along with various pockets of minerals deposited on the ocean floor instead of getting dissolved like usual. Let’s make it a bit easier for you.
A seabed is comprised of salt deposits (also known as salt plates), since the time oceans started forming. Now, when water intrudes, it dissolves some of these salts and minerals and then juts out, cracking the salt plates in the process. Guess what the result is? A brine pool. Okay, but why does this happen? The water that shoots out is saltier than the surrounding ocean water, and is denser. So, it can’t mix with the water around and instead, has to flow into a basin. Over the years, brine pools develop their own unique characteristics such as ridges, slopes and valleys, thanks to constant mineral and salt deposits.
Interesting factoids
Thanks to the recent findings, some interesting facts about brine pools have come to the forefront. Aquatic creatures such as fish, shrimp and eels use these waterbodies as their hunting ground. Having said that, there are certain organisms that are known to survive in these toxic, harsh ecosystems of brine pools. However, the list is too short.
Maybe, this is why scientists have been so keen to learn more about these brine pools. After all, they do provide valuable insights into first life on earth as well as how the first oceans were formed.