Salt Lakes
Lake Amadeus viewed from space
The salt lakes of Central Australia are also maintained by groundwater and support specialised flora and fauna.
Lake Amadeus
Lake Amadeus is one of a chain of salt lakes formed as a result of saline ground water discharging to the surface. Situated along the axis of a now infilled river valley, the lake drains groundwater from both bedrock aquifers and aquifers made up of the river sands deposited on the valley floor.
The water table is about 300 millimetres below the lake floor, shallow enough for the water to be evaporated. The lake occasionally fills when heavy rains occur but it is usually dry. Ground water does not accumulate in the lake as free standing water but is all lost to evaporation. The salts in the ground water are left behind and gradually accumulate forming deposits of common salt and gypsum.
Groundwater movement beneath the lake
Salt lakes are a significant landform in the southern part of the Northern Territory, covering an area of some 2800 square kilometres.
Salt lakes in the Northern Territory
