Lake Van microbialites under international scientific study

An international team of scientists is conducting research on the formation processes of microbialites in Lake Van, Turkey. The microbialites, which resemble coral reefs and can reach heights of approximately 40 meters, represent some of the most widely distributed microbialites in the world.

Led by Associate Professor Çetin Yeşilova from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, the collaborative project involves researchers from Turkey, Italy, Poland, and China. The primary objective is to determine the origin of nanospheres found within these microbialites. Researchers aim to correlate these findings with samples from Salda Lake in Turkey and the Jezero Crater on Mars.

During the field study, scientists and divers collected water and microbialite samples from various locations in the lake. To preserve the characteristics and activity of the samples, they are being transported to Italy for advanced analysis using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and various mass spectrometry methods.