Can you believe it?A stinky ditch seems to have "life", not only moving all the time, but even "eating people".
Don't believe it, this "stinky ditch" is located in Tobago in the Caribbean Sea, and its surface is dark and shiny like an "abyssal mouth".Animal remains can always be found in its vicinity
However, such a frightening lake would beIt is revered as the "Treasure Lake" by the locals, evenLocals call it "Lake of Ugin", but why is that?
The oldest asphalt lake: Lake Pitsch
On the island of Trinidad in Tobago, there is one such oneBeech Lake, it'sThe area is up to 46 hectares, surrounded by highland jungle, like a "black gem" nestled in the jungle.
Strangely, however, the lake is not full of water, but rather of a kindJet-black, viscous liquid - bitumen
That's right, Beech Lake is oneNatural asphalt lake, and even stillOne of the largest and oldest asphalt lakes in the world
To dateThe depth of Lake Beech has only reached 75 meters, but even so, the core there is still covered with asphalt, so scientistsThe depth of Lake Beech is visually around 80,100 meters, which can be described as veritable"Bottomless Lake".
It was only at the beginning of the last century that historians discovered this treasure on this remote island in the Caribbean, according to archaeologistsThe history of Piech Lake can even be traced back to the Chao era 15,000 years ago
Scientists speculate that the creation of Lake Beechs is related to the subduction zone of the crust in the Caribbean Sea and the Barbados Arc, due to the two faults squeezing each otherThe oil buried deep in the earth's crust is squeezed out, forming "oil seedlings".
Over time, a large amount of material within the oil seedling volatilizes, which attracts a large number of bacteria. GraduallyThese bacteria combine with volatiles to form a heavy oil mixture, known as bitumenThis area became a natural bitumen deposit, eventually forming the bitumen lake we see as Bich Lake.
Hundreds of years ago, local residents discovered this magical lake and gave it the name "Lake Pitsch".
Locals believe that in the Zheng** of Piqi Lake, there lives a group of magical plants called "Biqi Wood", their leaves are as light as feathers, and at night these Biqi Trees still emit a little starlight, guarding this Biqi Lake day and night.
But after artificial exploration, scientistsNo flora or fauna were found in Lake Pitsch, and from a scientific point of view,The geographical conditions of Lake Beech are also not suitable for the survival of any flora and fauna
Therefore, the story of "Piqi Wood" and "Biqi Lake" is more like a kind of awe and legend of local residents for nature. ButIn the positive part of Lake Pitsch, people did find the "source" of the gushing asphalt
However, this so-called source is not different from the rest of the asphalt lake, but it is relatively softerFrom time to time, there will be a "clang" sound, accompanied by some asphalt coming out, as if it has life
The "treasure" of Lake Pitsch
What is the biggest "treasure" of Lake Pitsch?Bitumen is undoubtedly bitumen, as a high-viscosity organic liquid, there are only three types of bitumen known:Natural asphalt, petroleum asphalt and coal coke asphalt
The vast majority of the asphalt we use in our lives today is petroleum asphalt or coking coal asphalt, which is more precious than natural asphalt, so it is often usedIt is used in some civil engineering construction and part of the rubber industry
For a country,Bitumen is a strategic-level stockpile, so natural bitumen is precious for any country.
And the asphalt produced by Lake Beech is natural asphalt, even if it is conservatively guessed that the depth of Lake Beech is only 80 metersIt also has a storage capacity of nearly 10 million tons of bitumen, enough to be mined for 200 years
Moreover, 80 meters is only the minimum value that scientists can guess about the depth of Lake Pitch, and scientists even guess that the maximum depth of Lake Beech is nearly 100 meters, andLake Beech is a natural bitumen deposit, and it also has a certain regeneration capacity
The pitch-black asphalt is as precious as gold, so many peopleRefer to asphalt as "black**"., so the locals willLake Beech is called the "Lake of Ugin".
There is no doubt about itLake Pitsch is one of nature's "treasures" to the people of Tobago and to the human worldBut if you think that's all there is to the preciousness of Lake Beech, you're very wrong.
In the lower layer of Lake Pitsch, a large number of them were buried"Witnesses of history" - fossils。In the lower level of Lake Pitsch, the remains of a large number of flora and fauna are buried.
WhileBitumen is actually a semi-solid form of petroleum, which itself does notNon-corrosive, so the fossils buried under Lake Beech are still of great integrity.
Biologists and archaeologists once discovered it in Lake PitschSaber-toothed tigers, North American lions, dreaded wolves, ground sloths, western wild horsesand other five long-extinct animal fossils, and also found in Beech LakeA large number of seeds and pollen of ancient plants, and these are fossilsIt provides a basis for exploring the ancient ecological environment
It can be said that Beech Lake is not only a canInfinitely renewable resource deposits, or oneA huge "repository of fossils".。But will you be curiousWhy is there such a large amount of animal remains buried beneath Lake Pitsch Lake?
Beech Lake, which can "eat people".
During the excavation of fossils in the interior of Lake Pitsch, human remains were found inside the asphalt, and the remains of this body came from an Indian womanIt is speculated that it is nearly 10,000 years old, but why can human remains be found in the asphalt?
This is becauseBeech Lake is a "cannibal"., except that this "eating" is somewhat similar to the "devouring" of the swamp, becauseBitumen is essentially a non-Newtonian runny nose with solid and liquid properties
SoWhen a person or animal stands on Lake Beech for a long time, there is a risk of falling into Lake PitschAnd the reason why there are so many fossils in Lake Beech is also because of this.
When the rainy season comes, the surface of Lake Beech will be covered with rainwater, and with the arrival of the dry season, the rain will evaporate, and there is often a lot of rainwater in the asphalt pits of Lake Pitsch, and if you look closely at the rainwater, some fish and aquatic insects are also inhabited.
But actually,These fish and insects are just "bait" set by Lake BeechThese aquatic creatures may attract some waterfowl that come up to feed, and when they have eaten and drunk enough, they will find that their feet have been firmly stuck in the asphalt.
So these birds will be gradually devoured by the asphalt, and inThis process attracts some small or medium-sized carnivores, in the same way, when these animals are also trapped in asphalt,Their carcasses attract some large animals
That's why so many animal fossils can be found in the depths of Lake Pitsch. And because the origins of Lake Beech are relatively old, thereforeIn it it is possible to find animal fossils from many other eras, which has been discovered by date from Lake PitschNearly hundreds of tons of fossilized bones, but Lake Beech is still "devouring" a huge amount of wildlife every year.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the most precious "wealth" of nature has been given to mankind at the time of Lake Pitsch, but it is also a warning to mankindIt is necessary to rationally develop and utilize this "gift" from nature, and not to excessively destroy natural resources.
Otherwise it will be like an animal on asphaltLose yourself in the process of acquiring resources, and eventually usher in destruction