Question

Why are many lakes in the Eastern Mediterranean very salty and full of minerals?

a. The earth around them has higher than normal levels of salt and minerals.
b. They have no outlets to the ocean, and the minerals have built up over time.
c. They lie below sea level.
d. The nearby Mediterranean Sea is extremely alkaline

Answer 1

The correct answer is "B".

These lakes are considered as hypersaline lakes. Bodies of water with no particular exit to a near ocean which accumulate high levels of salt throughout time. The salt level within these oceans is higher than seawater reaching nearly 3.5% of salt per gallon. Lake Van and lake Baskunchak in turkey are examples of high salinity lakes.

Answer 2

"b. They have no outlets to the ocean, and the minerals have built up over time" would be the best option from the list, because even though there are small outlets, they are not large enough to allow true diffusion.