‘Haloarchaea’ microbes

Context: Recently, the colour of Lonar lake water in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district turned pink due to a large presence of ‘Haloarchaea’ microbes.

About Haloarchaea

  • Haloarchaea’ is a salt-loving microbe.
  • Haloarchaea or halophilic archaea is a bacteria culture which produces pink pigment and is found in water saturated with salt.
  • The oval-shaped Lonar lake, formed after a meteorite hit the earth some 50,000 years ago.
  • The increased salinity and pH facilitated the growth of halophilic microbes, mainly Haloarchaea.

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