|
Back To: Environment
Dead
Sea
The Dead Sea is 79 km
long and between 5km and 16 km wide. It is 400m deep at its deepest
point. The sea lie s
394 meters below sea level and is the saltiest of all seas, with a
concentration of 32%, almost six times as salty as the ocean. The
salts are mainly bromide and potash.
The Dead Sea is a
landlocked lake between Jordan and Israel. The surface is less
saline as the Jordan River flows into its surface. The sea has no
marine life at all; the occasional fish accidentally swimming there
from one of the freshwater streams is killed instantly and preserv ed
in a layer of white salt crystals.
In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd found jars filled with ancient scrolls
in a cave near the Dead Sea. Archaeologists excavated several caves
and the ruin of Qumran on the northwestern shore and on a barren
terrace between the caves and the Dead Sea. The scrolls have since
been known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Dead Sea area is a
tourist destination; the health effects of Dead Sea minerals have
been commercialized.
|
