Potash Lakes: What's the Science Behind These Weird, Bright Lakes That Sprout in Utah Desert?

In the center of Utah's desert, there is a vivid blue spot of water.

Although the potash evaporation ponds appear odd, they serve a very particular function.

Potash, a name derived from an early method of production in which potassium was extracted from wood ashes and concentrated through evaporating the leachate in sizable iron pots, is frequently used to refer to fertilizer potassium (pot-ash).

Potash evaporation ponds

(Photo : Jakob Køhn/Unsplash)

In Utah's reddish-brown desert environment, a series of dazzling blue man-made ponds offer a touch of the strange to an otherwise desolate area, as per ATI.

These bodies of water, called the potash evaporation ponds, aren't utilized for swimming; rather, they're used to separate a particular potassium-containing salt.

The potash evaporation ponds in Utah were built to collect potash, a term that refers to a variety of potassium-containing salts that are then used all across the county.

Miners then pump salty water from the neighboring Colorado river into an underground mine in order to extract the potash.

Potash, which is 3,000 feet below the earth, is dissolved by the salty water, although other minerals inside the region are mainly unaffected.

The evaporation ponds receive the potash-infused water after that.

The potash evaporation ponds' water is tinted a deep blue color to increase the water's ability to absorb solar heat.

Furthermore, the ponds' color changes as a result of evaporation.

Despite this extra step, it still takes 300-ish days, or over a year, for the brine to crystallize into salt and potash. All across the world, solar ponds similar to the evaporation ponds for potash are used.

They can be utilized for a number of things, including the production of solar electricity, desalination, process heating, and more.

Also Read: Reduce Salt, Increase Potassium in Diet for a Healthy Heart

Potash

In the region of Central Canada and the northern United States, the enormous Devonian Sea was slowly drying up around 350 million years ago, leaving behind concentrated salts and minerals.

Nowadays, this activity is still in progress in areas like the Dead Sea and the Great Salt Lake, as per Mosaic.

The majority of such recovered ancient sea salts are utilized as potassium fertilizer, though they can currently be employed in a variety of helpful ways.

Due to the widespread occurrence of fertilizers like potassium chloride and potassium sulfate in nature, potassium is a natural food for plants.

Thankfully, the earth's vast potash deposits can supply all of its needs, such as nutrients, for many generations to come.

Since this fertilizer is derived from the soil and is only recycled through extremely drawn-out geological processes, it is obvious that it isn't an artificial or created substance.

An essential mineral for human health is potassium. Because the body cannot store potassium, it is important to regularly consume meals high in potassium to replace this vitamin.

It has been demonstrated that diets high in potassium and low in sodium are helpful in preventing high blood pressure.

Potassium is crucial for plant health and growth, so there must be enough in the soil.

When there is a shortage of potassium, plants produce fewer, lower-quality fruits and vegetables, use water inefficiently, and are more vulnerable to insect and disease damage.

Related article: Insects Keep Warm In Winter By Maintaining Salt Balance, Researchers Say