Mysterious lake Fundudzi, from which it is impossible to take even a drop of water

In the north-east of the Republic of South Africa, there is a picturesque, but mysterious and sinister Lake Funduji. The local population considers the lake sacred and tells legends about it.

Despite the problems with fresh water in Africa, the tribes have never settled on the banks of Funduji, did not fish there and did not even replenish the water supply from this lake, reports Rush Hour with reference to the media.

This is because, according to local legends, it is impossible to carry away a single drop of water from Lake Funduji, and anyone who touches the water, or even drinks it, will soon die. People were also sacrificed to a mythical beast, Fundudzi to appease him.

The general public learned about Funduji at the beginning of the XX century, when deposits of chromium ore were found in the vicinity of the lake. When expeditions from Europe began to arrive in this area, the lake was finally mapped.

Scientists listened to local stories about the sinister lake and the monster, but in the course of geological research, nothing mystical was found.

In 1955, Professor Henry Burnside and his assistant Thacker decided to test the legend of the strange water that can not be carried away from the lake. The scientists collected water in several containers made of different materials-glass, porcelain and plastic, and went several kilometers away, intending to examine the samples.

But it was not possible to conduct an analysis: in the morning all the containers were empty. Then the scientists decided to return to the lake and take new samples. This time Burnside dipped his finger into the water and tasted it: it tasted bittersweet.

During the day, scientists observed the containers, but no changes occurred, and by morning the vessels were empty again. Burnside had intended to go back to the lake and examine the water samples on the spot, but his plans were thwarted by a sudden deterioration in his health: the professor was hospitalized, and a week later he died - as it later turned out, from inflammation of the intestines.

It would seem that there is confirmation of a sinister legend, but the scientific explanation of phenomena lake Fundudzi still there. In fact, the cause of the anomalies are deposits of chromium ore.

Chromium salts are very toxic to humans, and the concentration of chromium in the lake was so high that a couple of drops killed Professor Burnside.

The phenomenon of disappearing water is also explained by the high content of chromium. At temperatures below 19 degrees Celsius, the chromium particles in the water crystallize (so the water "disappeared" at night, when it was cooler). In fact, the liquid from the vessel does not go anywhere, but passes into a solid state, spreading out along the bottom and walls of the container.

To be fair, some of the mysteries of Funduji have not yet been solved - for example, it is not clear why a large number of crocodiles live in the poisonous lake. It is also unclear what these reptiles eat, because there are no fish in the lake, and other animals do not go there to drink.