Mono Lake, California

Mono Lake is a salty and barren body of water, in the remote eastern Sierras. The water level has decreased over the years, largely due to the diversion of the streams that feed the lake into conduits that take water to the city of Los Angeles, 338 miles to the south. As a result, the unusual formations of tufa (pillars of calcium carbonate) along the lakeshore have been further exposed, enhancing the peculiarity of this environment.