Xiechi Lake in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, China

© Xinhua/Alam

Water colors

Xiechi Lake in Yuncheng, China, has such a high level of salinity, it's sometimes called China's Dead Sea. But unlike the Dead Sea in the Middle East, Xiechi Lake supports abundant microscopic life: algae and other microorganisms that have a high tolerance for the salt. In summer and autumn, the lake temperature is high enough to spark algae blooms, bringing a variety of intense colors to the lake water.

During the cold, dry winter, the temperature drops low enough to cause some of the sodium content in the water to form mirabilite rime—spiky, ice crystal-like mineral formations that make the lake shore and shallow surfaces look like an ice-covered landscape from science fiction.