Tufa towers on California’s Mono Lake stand above the alkaline waters that once submerged them, allowing their development in the first place. The tufa formed where relatively fresh springs entered a lake rich with carbonates and other alkali, depositing calcium carbonate (hard lime) as a result. With time this process built the towers higher underwater until either the springs’ pipes became plugged and found new routes, or the lake dropped below the level of the discharge. These formations and their reflections together reminded me of symmetric fractals drawn by PC screen savers or fractal-generation software. Since fractal forms are so common in, and original to, the natural world, maybe the reminder should have been in reverse. The late Benoit Mandelbrot surely would be pleased!
5 ESE Lee Vining CA (20 Jan 6) looking NE
37.9442, -119.028Mono Fractal
Tufa towers on California’s Mono Lake stand above the alkaline waters that once submerged them, allowing their development in the first place. The tufa formed where relatively fresh springs entered a lake rich with carbonates and other alkali, depositing calcium carbonate (hard lime) as a result. With time this process built the towers higher underwater until either the springs’ pipes became plugged and found new routes, or the lake dropped below the level of the discharge. These formations and their reflections together reminded me of symmetric fractals drawn by PC screen savers or fractal-generation software. Since fractal forms are so common in, and original to, the natural world, maybe the reminder should have been in reverse. The late Benoit Mandelbrot surely would be pleased!
5 ESE Lee Vining CA (20 Jan 6) looking NE
37.9442, -119.028