Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a very salty lake.

It is in a place with lots of sun. The water is so salty that you float. Plants and fish cannot live there. This is because the water is too salty for them. The land around the lake is very low. It is the lowest land on Earth.

People visit the sea to see it. It is a very special place.

The Dead Sea is a very salty lake.

It sits in a deep valley. This area is the lowest land on Earth. The lake is surrounded by Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank.

Most water flows into the sea through the Jordan River. However, the water is leaving the lake very fast. This is called recession. Because the water is shrinking, the shores look different. You can see white salt left behind on the ground.

The water is 9.6 times saltier than the ocean. This high salinity, or salt level, makes the water very thick. It is hard for plants and animals to live there. This is why it is called the Dead Sea. Because the water is so dense, people float easily.

Long ago, the sea was part of a big bay. This bay was connected to the Mediterranean Sea. Over time, the land changed. The water became trapped in a deep hole. This created the landlocked lake we see today.

The Dead Sea is a unique salt lake. It sits in a deep valley called the Jordan Rift Valley.

This lake is bordered by Jordan to the east. Israel and the West Bank sit to the west. It is a landlocked lake, which means no rivers flow out of it. As of 2025, its surface is below sea level. This makes its shores the lowest land-based elevation on Earth. It is also the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. Hypersaline means it has a very high amount of salt.

Water enters the lake from several sources. The main path is the Jordan River.

Other water comes from small streams called wadis. These include the Arava Stream and Wadi Mujib. Some water also comes from direct rainfall. However, the lake is receding, or shrinking, at a fast rate. In 1930, the surface area was much larger than it is today. The Jordan River has been diverted, so it only provides about one-sixth of the water. This causes the water level to drop quickly.

The lake has a very long history. For thousands of years, people have visited from the Mediterranean area. It was one of the world's first health resorts. Ancient people used products from the sea for many things. They used asphalt for Egyptian mummification. They also used potash to make fertilizers. In ancient times, Greek and Roman writers called it the Asphalt Lake. The Roman historian Tacitus even called it the "Jewish Sea."

The water is incredibly salty. In 2011, its salinity was measured at 34.2%. This is 9.6 times saltier than the ocean.

This saltiness makes the water very dense. Density is how much mass is in a certain amount of space. Because the water is so dense, swimming feels like floating. This harsh environment is why plants and animals cannot live there. This is why the name "Dead Sea" was chosen.

Geologists have theories about how this lake formed. Long ago, the area was a bay called the Sedom Lagoon. This bay was connected to the Mediterranean Sea.

Over time, the land changed due to tectonic forces. These forces are movements in the Earth's crust. The lagoon became a landlocked lake. As the water evaporated, the lake shrank. This left behind huge salt deposits. One large formation is called Mount Sodom.

These salt mountains stay high even as the water drops.

The Dead Sea is a unique landlocked salt lake located in the Jordan Rift Valley.

It is bordered by Jordan to the east and by Israel and the West Bank to the west. This lake is an endorheic basin, which means it has no outlet streams to carry water away. As of 2025, its surface sits below sea level. This makes its shores the lowest land-based elevation on Earth. It is also recognized as the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. Hypersaline refers to water that contains an extremely high concentration of salt.

Water flows into the Dead Sea from several different sources. The primary tributary is the Jordan River, which passes through the Sea of Galilee.

Other water enters through various small or intermittent streams known as wadis. These include the Arava Stream, Wadi Mujib, and Wadi al-Hasa. Some water also comes from direct rainfall and groundwater seepage. However, the Jordan River has been substantially diverted. It now contributes only about one-sixth of the total inflow. This reduction in water, combined with high evaporation, causes the lake to recede rapidly. Its surface area is much smaller today than it was in 1930.

The Dead Sea is defined by its extreme chemical properties. In 2011, its salinity was measured at 34.2%, or 342 g/kg. This concentration is 9.6 times saltier than the ocean.

This high salt content creates a very high density of 1.24 kg/litre. Because the water is so dense, objects like humans experience extreme buoyancy. This makes swimming feel more like floating. This harsh environment prevents most plants and animals from flourishing. This lack of aquatic life is why the name "Dead Sea" was chosen.

Geologists study the complex history of how this basin formed. During the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene, the area was part of a narrow bay called the Sedom Lagoon.

This lagoon was once connected to the Mediterranean Sea through the Jezreel Valley. As tectonic and climatic conditions changed, the connection was lost. The lagoon became a landlocked lake that retreated toward the southern rift valley. This process left behind massive layers of evaporites, which are minerals left after water evaporates. One major formation is Mount Sodom, a tall halite mineral formation on the southwestern side.

There are competing hypotheses regarding the low elevation of the basin. One theory suggests the Dead Sea lies in a true rift zone. This would make it an extension of the Red Sea Rift or the Great Rift Valley. A more recent hypothesis focuses on the Dead Sea Transform. This is a left lateral-moving transform fault at the boundary of the African and Arabian Plates. Scientists believe a "step-over" discontinuity along this fault created a crustal extension. This movement caused the land to subside, or sink, creating the deep basin we see today.

The Dead Sea has a long history of human interaction. For thousands of years, it has attracted visitors from the Mediterranean basin. It served as one of the world's first health resorts. Ancient people also used its natural resources for many purposes. They collected free-floating bitumen, or asphalt, which was used for Egyptian mummification.

They also extracted potash to be used for fertilizers. Today, tourists continue to visit the coastlines of Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank.

The climate in the Dead Sea zone is a hot desert climate. It features year-round sunny skies and very dry air. The region experiences a rainshadow effect caused by the Judaean Mountains. This means the mountains block moisture, leaving the area very arid.

Because of the low elevation, the atmospheric pressure is about 5% higher than at sea level. This results in a slightly higher oxygen concentration in the air. These unique physical and chemical factors make the Dead Sea a significant site for both geological study and human interest.