These weird geometric lakes might look Photoshopped but they are very real. These are potash evaporation ponds, and they are located in Moab, Utah. While they might seem out of place, they do exist although, as you probably guessed, they are artificial.
The brightly colored ponds bring an unusual kind of beauty to the dusty Utah landscape but they are also useful. These are the drying ponds for the Intrepid Potash – the world’s largest producer of potassium chloride or potash. Potash is used all over the world in a variety of ways, but it is first and foremost known as one of the three most important fertilizers in the world.
via Flickr / Nelson Miner
Potash is harvested from deep within in the Earth’s surface. It is extracted by injecting hot water into the reserve, where it then melts and is pumped to the surface. From there, it is funneled into these shallow ponds and allowed to evaporate, leaving only the crystals behind. The evaporation process takes about 300 days.
