Lonar lake turned pink due to ‘Haloarchaea’ microbes: Probe

News: According to the Agharkar Research Institute, the colour of Lonar lake water turned pink due to a large presence of ‘Haloarchaea’ microbes.

Facts:

• Haloarchaea or Halophilic archaea: It is a bacteria culture which produces pink pigment and is found in water saturated with salt.
• However,the colour of the lake is returning to original as the rainy season has started allowing dilution of the water.

Additional Facts:

• Lonar Lake: It is a notified National Geo Heritage Monument located at Lonar, Maharashtra.
• Formation: The lake is believed to have been formed when a meteorite crashed into Earth around 50,000 years ago.
  • The lake sits inside the Deccan Plateau—a massive plain of volcanic basalt rock created by eruptions some 65 million years ago.