Key Information
Mono Lake
| Type | Endorheic and Monomictic Lake |
| Area | 70 square miles |
| Depth | 159 ft (Max), 57 ft (Average) |
| Length | 13 miles |
| Width | 9.3 miles |
| Age | 760,000 years ago |
Learning Point
- Mono Lake is an ancient, super-salty “inland sea” in California that looks like it belongs on another planet. Because it has no outlet to the ocean, evaporating water leaves behind high concentrations of salt and minerals, making it nearly three times saltier than the sea. Its most famous features are the tufa towers—knobby limestone spires that formed underwater and were revealed as water levels dropped. While too harsh for fish, the lake is a booming ecosystem for trillions of brine shrimp and alkali flies, providing a massive “all-you-can-eat” buffet for millions of migrating birds.
Project
- Draw a picture of you and your family at Mono Lake.
Location
| Location | Mono County, California, United States |
Fun Facts
- The lake is nearly three times saltier than the ocean. It’s so salty that no fish can live in it, but it’s perfect for tiny brine shrimp.
- The weird, knobby towers you see sticking out of the water are called tufas. They are made of limestone and formed entirely underwater over hundreds of years.
- Even though it looks like a desert, it’s a giant restaurant for birds! Millions of birds stop here every year to feast on the lake’s bugs before flying thousands of miles.
- Millions of tiny alkali flies live along the shore. They can dive underwater by trapping a bubble of air around their bodies like a tiny scuba suit!
- Mono Lake is over one million years old, making it one of the oldest lakes in North America.
Past Lessons
| 192 | March 30, 2026 | (North America) |