The rise of tufa

Shaped by the slow passage of time, tufa—a type of porous limestone—emerges as one of nature's most spectacular formations. While these towers can be found in many places, today's image shows some at Mono Lake in Mono County, California. These structures develop when calcium-rich fresh water, flowing into the lake from several creeks and streams, mixes with the lake's alkaline water. Over centuries, this interaction caused calcium carbonate to build up, forming tufa spires above the lake's surface. To preserve the tufa towers, the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve was established in 1981.
© Susanna Patras/TANDEM Stills + Motion