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Spotted Lake
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Spotted Lake — known as Lake Khiluk[1] (Nsyilxcən: Kłlil’xᵂ) in the Nsyilxcən language — is a saline endorheic alkali lake located northwest of Osoyoos in the eastern Similkameen Valley of British Columbia, Canada, accessed via Highway 3.[2]
Key Information
Mineral and salt concentration
[edit]Spotted Lake is richly concentrated with various minerals. It contains dense deposits of magnesium sulfate, calcium and sodium sulphates. It also contains high concentrations of eight other minerals and lower amounts of silver and titanium.[3]
Most of the water in the lake evaporates over the summer, revealing colourful mineral deposits. Large "spots" on the lake appear and are coloured according to the mineral composition and seasonal amount of precipitation.[3] Magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer, is a major contributor to spot colour. In the summer, remaining minerals in the lake harden to form natural "walkways" around and between the spots.
Naming and history
[edit]Originally named in the Nsyilxcən language of the Syilx Okanagan Nation of the Okanagan Valley as Kłlil’xᵂ, Spotted Lake was for centuries, and still remains, revered as a sacred site thought to provide therapeutic waters.[3] During World War I, the minerals of Spotted Lake were used in manufacturing ammunition.[2]
Later, the area came under the control of the Ernest Smith Family for a term of about 40 years. In 1979, Smith attempted to create interest in a spa at the lake. The First Nations responded with an effort to buy the lake, then in October 2001, struck a deal by purchasing 22 hectares (54 acres) of land for a total of $720,000, and contributed about 20% of the cost. The Indian Affairs Department paid the remainder.[citation needed]
Spotted Lake today
[edit]Today, there is a roadside sign telling visitors that the lake is a cultural and ecologically sensitive area, and a traditional medicine lake for the Okanagan Syilx people. The lake can be viewed from the fence that has been erected for protection from the liabilities of public access.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ https://www.syilx.org/about-us/syilx-nation/spotted-lake-2/
- ^ a b "Spotted Lake". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ a b c Okanagan Geology South. Okanagan Geology Committee. 2011. pp. 78–79. ISBN 978-0-9699795-3-1.
External links
[edit]- Spotted Lake: Something out of a Doctor Suess Book?
- Flickr: People walking on the lake.
- Renaut, Robin W.; Long, Peter R. (1989). "Sedimentology of the saline lakes of the Cariboo Plateau, Interior British Columbia, Canada". Sedimentary Geology. 64 (4): 239. Bibcode:1989SedG...64..239R. doi:10.1016/0037-0738(89)90051-1.
- Camm, E. L.; Stein, J. R. (1974). "Some aspects of the nitrogen metabolism of Nodularia spumigena (Cyanophyceae)". Canadian Journal of Botany. 52 (4): 719. doi:10.1139/b74-093.
- Jenkins, O. P. (1918). "Spotted lakes of epsomite in Washington and British Columbia". American Journal of Science. 46 (275): 638–644. Bibcode:1918AmJS...46..638J. doi:10.2475/ajs.s4-46.275.638.
Spotted Lake
View on GrokipediaPhysical Geography
Location and Dimensions
Spotted Lake is situated approximately 9 kilometers northwest of Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley of southern British Columbia, Canada, near the Canada–United States border.[9][3] Its geographic coordinates are 49°04′41″N 119°34′01″W.[10] The lake exhibits a kidney shape, with a maximum length of about 0.8 kilometers and a maximum width of approximately 0.5 kilometers.[11][12] As an endorheic basin, it receives water solely from subterranean springs and has no surface outlets, causing its surface area to diminish markedly through evaporation during the summer months.[13][14] This hydrological isolation contributes to progressive salinity concentration over time.[13]Seasonal Transformations
During winter and spring, Spotted Lake covers its basin with a continuous layer of water, presenting as a uniform saline lake without distinct spotting.[11][15] In summer, particularly from July to August, high evaporation rates in the surrounding arid environment reduce water levels, disconnecting the surface into numerous shallow, mineral-encrusted pools separated by crystallized mineral bridges.[11][16][8] These pools, often numbering around 365, form the lake's namesake spotted pattern, observable from a viewpoint along Highway 3.[17][18] As evaporation progresses, the appearance shifts from blue-green hues under higher water conditions to yellow, white, or green tones in the exposed mineral-rich spots due to concentration differences.[16][19]Geological and Hydrological Characteristics
Endorheic Basin Formation
Spotted Lake occupies an endorheic basin in the semi-arid Okanagan Desert ecoregion of southern British Columbia, where low precipitation (typically 250-350 mm annually) and high evaporation rates exceed inflows, fostering solute concentration without external drainage.[4][2] The basin's closed hydrology results from topographic containment within the Similkameen Valley depression and limited subsurface permeability, preventing significant groundwater export and enabling long-term retention of water and dissolved materials.[11][20] Geological formation of the basin stems from Miocene to Pliocene tectonic extension in the Canadian Cordillera, which faulted and down-dropped the Okanagan-Similkameen trough, creating a structural low bounded by resistant bedrock highlands.[2] Subsequent Pleistocene glaciations by the Cordilleran Ice Sheet scoured the valley, depositing till and stratified sediments that further modified basin morphology and contributed to subsurface sealing through low-permeability layers of glacial clay and diamicton.[21][22] These processes isolated the site hydrologically, distinguishing it from adjacent exorheic drainages in the region. Inflows derive mainly from subterranean springs tapping fractured bedrock aquifers in the surrounding Kobau Group metamorphic rocks, including schists, quartzites, and amphibolites, which supply groundwater while dissolving ions from host lithologies over extended timescales.[23][2] Absent surface streams or outlets, this endorheic dynamic promotes progressive hyper-salinization through evaporative loss, a process amplified in the local climate and yielding one of Canada's most concentrated inland alkali systems, akin to global soda lakes but rare in northern latitudes.[24][4] Empirical hydrologic balances indicate annual evaporation dominates, with spring recharge insufficient to dilute accumulations built over millennia.[20]Mineral Precipitation Processes
In the endorheic basin of Spotted Lake, summer evaporation driven by high temperatures and low precipitation concentrates dissolved minerals from mineral-rich groundwater inflows, reducing water volume and increasing solute saturation.[25] This process follows basic principles of solution chemistry, where progressive water loss elevates ion concentrations until supersaturation occurs, prompting nucleation and crystal growth of salts.[2] Less soluble minerals precipitate first, forming durable crusts that delineate boundaries between residual brine pools, creating the characteristic spotted pattern visible on the lake bed.[5] Differential solubilities among constituent ions result in compositional zoning across pools, as precipitation sequences favor certain salts in specific locales based on local microenvironments and initial concentrations.[4] Brine density gradients further promote stratification, with denser, saltier layers settling beneath lighter ones in the meromictic water column, inhibiting mixing and preserving segregated pools during desiccation.[26] These dynamics yield hundreds of discrete, variably colored depressions separated by elevated mineral ridges, a repeatable outcome of evaporative thermodynamics rather than anomalous events.[27] The annual cycle concludes with spring freshets from regional runoff, which dilute hypersaline brines and inundate precipitated structures, restoring a uniform water layer and priming the system for renewed evaporation the following season.[28] This predictable renewal underscores the lake's operation under steady hydrological forcings, with no evidence of external perturbations disrupting the equilibrium.[11] Observations confirm the spots' reemergence aligns with seasonal insolation and moisture deficits, affirming causal reliance on physical evaporation rates exceeding inflow.[2]Chemical Composition
Key Mineral Constituents
Spotted Lake's brine is dominated by magnesium sulfate and sodium sulfate, with sulfate concentrations reaching 314,150 mg/L, magnesium at 46,565 mg/L, and sodium at 51,524 mg/L.[29] These levels reflect molar concentrations of approximately 2.1 M for magnesium and 1.9 M for sodium, alongside 2.8 M sulfate, establishing a MgSO₄:Na₂SO₄ ratio of roughly 20:9.[30] Minor ions include potassium (11,375 mg/L) and chloride (3,420 mg/L), with calcium remaining low at 0.9 mg/L in the water column.[29] The lake exhibits total salinity of 37.1%, significantly surpassing seawater's approximately 35,000 mg/L total dissolved solids, rendering it hypersaline.[30] Its pH measures between 7.2 and 8.3, indicating slightly alkaline conditions.[29][30] Key precipitated minerals include epsomite (MgSO₄·7H₂O), the hydrated form of magnesium sulfate responsible for crystallization during evaporation; blödite (Na₂Mg(SO₄)₂·4H₂O); and konyaite (Na₂Mg(SO₄)₂·5H₂O).[30][29] Gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) also forms, particularly in sediments rich in calcium oxide (17-25% CaO).[29][30] Compositional variations across individual pools arise from differential evaporation and precipitation, influencing the lake's distinctive patterning.[30]| Major Ion | Concentration (mg/L) |
|---|---|
| SO₄²⁻ | 314,150 |
| Na⁺ | 51,524 |
| Mg²⁺ | 46,565 |
| K⁺ | 11,375 |
| Cl⁻ | 3,420 |
| Ca²⁺ | 0.9 |
Analytical Studies and Data
Analytical studies of Spotted Lake's chemistry have primarily focused on its hypersaline brine composition and associated microbial communities, employing methods such as water sampling, ion chromatography, and metagenomic sequencing to quantify mineral concentrations and biological adaptations. A 1918 analysis established the lake's dominant ionic profile, dominated by sulfate salts, while subsequent investigations in the 2010s utilized remote sensing and sediment core sampling to track seasonal variations driven by evaporation. These approaches reveal reproducible patterns of mineral supersaturation without evidence of properties deviating from established geochemical principles.[24] Quantitative data from 2017 metagenomic and geochemical sampling indicate brine concentrations of sulfate at 2.8 M, magnesium at 2.1 M, and sodium at 1.9 M, with minor potassium and chloride ions, yielding a slightly alkaline pH conducive to sulfate-tolerant microbes. Seasonal fluctuations amplify these gradients: winter dilution via minor inflows reduces salinity, while summer evaporation precipitates minerals like epsomite (magnesium sulfate heptahydrate), forming the characteristic spots through differential crystallization rates verifiable via laboratory evaporation simulations. Such data refute attributions of supernatural phenomena by demonstrating that visual and purported therapeutic effects stem from predictable ion behaviors under varying hydrological conditions.[30][31]| Ion/Species | Concentration (M) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SO₄²⁻ | 2.8 | Dominant anion, drives precipitation |
| Mg²⁺ | 2.1 | Key cation in epsomite formation |
| Na⁺ | 1.9 | Contributes to overall salinity |
| K⁺, Cl⁻ | Minor (<0.5) | Secondary ions |