"Tufa Towers at Mono Lake" Bodie Off The Beaten Path Tip by travelgirl3

Tufa towers begin their life underwater. Freshwater calcium-bearing springs come up through the bottom of Mono Lake. The calcium chemically combines with carbonate-rich lakewater to form calcium carbonate, or tufa. This solid material settles out, forming towers, with the spring water pushing up inside them. The towers cease to grow as they are exposed to the air by the declining lake level.