2006-06-14 07:59:08 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
because its in the middle of a desesrt and it is stagnant with no flow in or out
2006-06-14 08:02:31 · answer #1 · answered by phxem 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Anyway, back to the formation of the Dead Sea. We talked about how the surface of the Sea got down so low in elevation, but why is it so salty? All roads lead to the Sea when it comes to the rivers in the area. The Dead Sea is continually fed water from the rivers and streams coming down off the mountains that surround it. But the kicker is this....no rivers drain out of the Dead Sea. The only way water gets out of the Sea is through evaporation. And boy does it evaporate! This part of the world get plenty hot. When the water evaporates, it leaves behind all the dissolved minerals in the Sea, just making it saltier. In fact, it's through the dual action of; 1) continuing evaporation and 2) minerals salts carried into the Sea from the local rivers, that makes the Sea so salty. The fact that the water doesn't escape the Sea just traps the salts within its shores. There's nothing living in the Dead Sea because it got so salty, so quickly, that evolution has not had a chance to produce any creatures that could adapt to such brutal conditions.
2006-06-14 23:08:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because it's been there so long. The longer a body of water is around the more time the salts and sediments have to build up. By contrast, the Great Lakes haven't been around anywhere near as long and are fresh. Those formed at the end of the last great Ice Age, I think that was around 10,000 years ago but I'll have to double check on that. Dead Sea must have been there maybe over a million years or more. Plus, its saltier than the ocean because it is not as big as the ocean so it gets concentrated with salts more quickly and easily because of its smaller size.
2006-06-15 20:19:45 · answer #3 · answered by Professor Armitage 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Dead Sea is so salty because of the lack of precipitation and the high rate of evaporation.
2006-06-14 08:50:23 · answer #4 · answered by geojen 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because water draining into the Dead Sea contain ions such as sodium, potassium and chlorine. The sun evaporates the water but cannot remove these ions so they accumulate. It is these ions that make the water taste salty.
2006-06-14 09:32:35 · answer #5 · answered by Amphibolite 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because all water has traces of sodium in it. Water flows in to the Dead Sea, but, because it is so far below sea level, the water cannot flow out. Over the years, evaporation being the only way out and salt being unable to evaporate, the sea keeps getting saltier and saltier. Salt is always coming in, but never going out.
2006-06-14 08:03:54 · answer #6 · answered by zharantan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋