Lake Tuz (Turkish: Tuz Gölü meaning Salt Lake) is the second largest lake in Turkey with its 1,665 km2 surface area and one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. It is located in the Central Anatolia Region, 105 km northeast of Konya, 150 km south-southeast of Ankara and 57 km northwest of Aksaray. In recent years, Lake Tuz has become a hotspot for tourists. In October 2021, Lake Tuz temporarily dried up completely due to water mismanagement and climate change.
The lake, occupying a tectonic depression in the central plateau of Turkey, is fed by two major streams, groundwater, and surface water, but has no outlet. Brackish marshes have formed where channels and streams enter the lake. Arable fields surround the lake, except in the south and southwest where extensive seasonally flooded salt-steppe occurs.
For most of the year, it is very shallow. During winter part of the salt is dissolved in the fresh water that is introduced to the lake by precipitation and surface runoff (to 324‰ salinity). During the summer the lake dries up exposing an average of 30 cm thick salt layer in August. This mechanism is used as a basis for the process of the salt mines in the lake. The three mines operating in the lake produce 63% of the salt consumed in Turkey. The salt mining generates industrial activity in the region, mainly related to salt processing and refining.
