Take a tour through the world’s most colorful lakes

Take a tour through the world’s most colorful lakes - When you picture a lake, you probably imagine light, calming blue waters that soothe the soul. While that’s true about most lakes, some actually produce shocking colors, ranging from pink, red, and even yellow tones.

Click through this gallery and take a tour of the world’s most colorfully beautiful lakes.

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Laguna Colorada, Bolivia - Meaning "red lagoon" in Spanish, this beautiful lake is located in the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, close to the Chilean border.

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Laguna Colorada, Bolivia - The water gets its color from red sediments and the pigmentation of some algae.

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Lake Pukaki, New Zealand - This lake is the largest of three lakes located in the Canterbury region of South Island.

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Lake Pukaki, New Zealand - Its waters get this bright blue color from glacial flour, the very finely ground rock particles from nearby glaciers.

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Kelimutu Tri Colored Lakes, Indonesia - This volcano, located near Moni in central Flores island, contains three colorful lakes in its craters.

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Kelimutu Tri Colored Lakes, Indonesia - The lakes' colors vary periodically, depending on the abundance of different minerals, such as iron and manganese, among other factors. The science behind this phenomenon is still not 100% understood.

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Red Salt Lakes, Tunisia - This series of lakes is located at the northern edge of the Sahara.

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Red Salt Lakes, Tunisia - Despite the name, these lakes aren't actually lakes. They're depressed areas that, for the most part, accumulate dried mud covered in white or gray salt. At a distance, the salt gives the impression of water. During the winter months, however, scarce rainfall does cause water to accumulate in the depressions.

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Jökulsárlón, Iceland - Iceland's deepest glacial lake showcases beautiful black and blue floating pieces of iceberg.

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Jökulsárlón, Iceland - Thanks to rising temperatures, the lagoon has doubled in size between 1975 and 1998, now covering 7 sq mi.

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Five Flower Lake, China - Located in Jiuzhaigon National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, this lake displays a web of ancient tree trunks at its base.

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Five Flower Lake, China - Jiuzhaigon National Park is home to several lakes, whose colors vary depending on their depths, residues, and surroundings.

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Morning Glory Pool, United States - Located in the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin, this hot spring owes its distinct green colors to thermophilic bacteria that inhabit its waters.

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Morning Glory Pool, United States - However the yellow and red circles are actually the work of visitors who throw coins, bottles, and other trash in it, which clogs the thermal vents and allows other bacteria to grow. Though beautiful, the bacteria in the yellow part of the hot spring could eventually kill off the other bacteria, which would cause huge ecological problems.

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Peyto Lake, Canada - Formed in a valley of the Waputik Range, at an elevation of 6,100 ft, this lake turns bright turquoise in the summer when glacial rock flour flows into its waters.

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Peyto Lake, Canada - The best place to admire its beauty is the Bow Summit, the highest point on the Icefields Parkway.

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Laguna Verde, Bolivia - Located at the foot of the volcano Licancabur in the southwestern Altiplano, this salt lake gets its colors from various minerals, including mineral suspensions of arsenic.

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Laguna Verde, Bolivia - Even though the lake's water temperatures can dip to a whopping -56°C, its chemical composition prevents the water from freezing.

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Lake Hillier, Australia - Located on the edge of Middle Island, this saline lake is actually 100% natural and completely safe to swim in.

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Lake Hillier, Australia - Its pink colors can be attributed to the presence of a green algae, found in environments with high salt concentration and known for producing a distinct pink and red color.

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Green Lake, Spain - Located in Lanzarote, a Spanish island of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, this lake lies at the foot of a half-submerged volcano known as El Golfo.

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Green Lake, Spain - The lake's intense green color is due to Ruppia-Maritima, an algae present in the water. The green contrasts beautifully with the surrounding black sand.

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The Devil's Bath, New Zealand - Located in New Zealand's Waiotapu, an active geothermal area in the country's Taupo Volcanic Zone, the lake gets its electric green color from deposits of sulphur that rise to the surface.

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The Devil's Bath, New Zealand - The lake was formed when a crater collapsed in on itself thanks to the acid erosion caused by the chemicals.

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The Grand Prismatic Spring, United States - Located in Yellowstone National Park, this hot spring is the largest in the United States and third largest in the world.

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The Grand Prismatic Spring, United States - The hot spring owes its colors to the microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water.

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The Hells of Beppu, Japan - Japan's "hells" consist of seven hot springs, five of which are located in the Kannawa district and two in the Shibaseki district. Pictured is the Chinoike Jigoku, or the "blood pond hell."

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The Hells of Beppu, Japan - Its waters reach 78°C and are rich in iron oxide, which is responsible for this beautiful color.

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Lake Retba, Senegal - Located north of the Cap Vert peninsula just 30 km from the capital Dakar, this pink lake is also appropriately known as Lac Rose, meaning pink lake.

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Lake Retba, Senegal - Its rosy colors are a result of the Dunaliella salina algae, which grows principally in sea salt fields.

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