NOTE: As of November 12th, 2006, the pond mentioned below was filled with water. The color mentioned in the description was on pictures that Google displayed by that time.
The latest picture of the same pond shows that it has been dried out almost completely (November 26th, 2007).
The firs description I made, when the water was there reads as follows:

This pond owes its color to an array of microorganisms that thrive in it. Large desiccation polygons can be seen at the center of the pond, indicating that the substrate gets subaerially exposed from time to time. The polygons are smaller toward the rim, which is consistent with the typical patterns of desiccation where the sediments that dry for longer times shrink and crack more than those retaining water. The center, even when exposed, would have more water than the margins.

The orange color is probably due to carotenoid pigmentation of microorganisms, but it may also be due to Iron oxides, and therefore indicate the presence of Fe-oxidizers. If this is true, the waters must be acidic or depleted in Oxygen; however, it looks so shallow that it would likely be acidic rather than anoxic. The lack of cyanobacteria in the water may support this idea, because they cannot grow in pH less than 5.
The white cover at the rim could be silica-rich deposits or sinters (or evaporites?), and the concentric green outer layers might be cyanobacteria, purple sulfur bacteria (check the rim and you will see patches of pink coloration) and algae.

By following the green path toward the mountain, it can be inferred that the water comes from some sort of spring and not only from filtered water drainig down the hill. It might be that some thermal activity is still going on...

That's pretty interesting. I've driven through the Owens Valley a few times, but I'd have to take a road to this lake sometime. Interesting biology of that lake!

Hi -

When you tilt and look around, and then take elevations around the floor, it seems that the lake is almost in a bowl and in an almost no-drainage area. That would fit the intermittant nature of the lake you describe as shown by the polygon-shaped cakes.. Would you call this a "playa?

Interesting post! Good job!

hale

I would not call this a playa. I do not think that this pond due its water to precipitation, but to a spring near by. A playa lake is dependent on rain water, so this pond would not fit that definition.

Hi Beraldi!
interesting as looks beautiful!

strange thing, some similar -"fried-egg-like"- features i have spotted some weeks ago been censored so far...

check it at: 42�33'22.50"N, 116� 0'3.29"W

do you know anything about the location?

regards,

g

P.S.: this topic would better fit Nature&Geography forum i think.

syzygy,

I cannot support a censorship assertion. The image is the same in Microsoft's Virtual Earth and the same (albeit slightly more colorful) in Yahoo Maps.

Censorship cannot be reasonably asserted for the global multitude of oddly colored ponds, sewage basins, chemical discharges, etc.

dear price!

your reply has made me really sad as it seems you do not trust my words...

the GE imagery was similar but even more sharp to the Yahoo Maps imagery and the yellow "yolk" was strongly visible few weeks ago just as i said to you.

it is really annoying that i did not take a screenshot to be able to attest i am right...

...some weird things are happening to imagery sometimes i know for sure now, that you cannot or do not want to explain and even not to investigate.

regards,

Happy New Year!

g

syzygy,

To assist in showing what constitutes censorship in the Google Earh computer application, I have now expanded the censorship listing in the Data Errors Compendium in THIS POSTING to show visual samples of the three principal types of censorship -- blurring, pixelization, and "whiteout." While the "Microbial paradise" is peculiar, it is not apparent what kind of censorship is shown, nor what would be covered up.

As has been explained to you at length in other postings and private messages, we are conservative in our approach to this subject. We try to be very careful before asserting censorship in Google Earth imagery.

• It must be obvious and easily identifiable photo manipulation.
  
• It should cover up something of national concern, in those cases where we can determine that.
  
• It must be visible in current imagery and not merely a change from some prior image. Such image updates are frequent and pervasive. Indeed, after large global updates, we attempt to revisit all data problem areas and check on their current state, in each case making a fresh evaluation based on what is currently visible. This provides a careful analysis of new censorship (Massachusetts) and censorship which has been removed (almost all of the Canary Islands).

The accusatorial tone of your response is unfortunate. If you still want to assert censorship, please indicate in further detail what kind of photo manipulation you believe is currently visible.

Quote:

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The accusatorial tone of your response is unfortunate. If you still want to assert censorship, please indicate in further detail what kind of photo manipulation you believe is currently visible.

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sorry price if you have felt accused, i did not want to harm you...

it is so simple:

there was a yellow spot -as still on Yahoo Maps- inside a whiteish patch few weeks ago on GE imagery and now there is a full, grey patch.

the other feature SW to it was dark orange -as still it is on Yahoo Maps- and now it is a full, grey patch too on GE imagery.

what is it if not imagery manipulation of GE?

the only thing i would liked to know, what are these features and why they had to be outgrayed...

but it does not worth to make you nervous!

...forget all this!

it seems, i have to do the same...

g