L'Atalante basin

L'Atalante basin is a special kind of lake found deep in the Mediterranean Sea, about 192 kilometers west of the island of Crete. This lake is not like regular lakes you see on land; it is filled with very salty water and sits at the very bottom of the sea, about 3,500 meters below sea level. It was discovered in 1993 by scientists on a French research ship called L'Atalante, which is why it has this name.

This basin, along with two others called Urania and Discovery, is very young — only about 35,000 years old. They formed when old salt deposits under the sea dissolved and collected in deep holes. These special lakes are interesting to scientists because they show us how nature can create unusual places far beneath the ocean's surface. L'Atalante is the smallest of these three deep lakes, making it a unique spot for studying the deep sea.

Description and biology

The L'Atalante basin has water so salty that it does not mix with the normal sea water above it. This salty water has no oxygen, making it a special place for tiny living things.

Near where the salty water meets the normal sea water, there are special kinds of bacteria and other tiny organisms that can live without much oxygen. Deeper down in the salty water, there are even tougher tiny creatures called extremophiles. Scientists have also found very small, simple animals called ciliates, dinoflagellates, and choanoflagellates living here.

In 2010, scientists found three types of very small animals living in the sediment at the bottom of the basin. These were the first animals ever found that can live completely without oxygen.