There’s a Lake... Under the Ocean?

Yep. You read that right. A lake. Under the ocean. And it’s not science fiction, it’s science fact.

Deep in the Gulf of Mexico, there’s a wild natural phenomenon called a brine pool. It looks like a shimmering lake sitting on the seafloor. The twist? It’s not a regular lake. It’s made of super salty water, so dense and heavy that it doesn’t mix with the surrounding ocean.

Wait—how is that even possible?

Let’s break it down:

• It’s super salty. Like, up to 10 times saltier than normal seawater. That makes the brine heavier so it sinks and settles on the ocean floor.

• It stays separate. Because of the difference in density, the salty brine doesn’t mix with the water around it. Instead, it creates this eerie, underwater pool that looks like something from another planet.

• It forms naturally. Over time, seawater seeps into cracks in the ocean floor and dissolves buried salt deposits. That salty water eventually makes its way back up and pools in low areas.

• It’s toxic. Most sea creatures that wander into a brine pool don’t make it out. The extreme salinity and lack of oxygen make it a deadly trap for most marine life.