Divers in Adilcevaz district of Bitlis province, in eastern Türkiye, have discovered a new microbialite at the depths of Lake Van. Unlike previously discovered microbialites, this one stretches horizontally for approximately 70 meters (229.66 feet)and has been captured on video by divers.
Lake Van, the world’s largest soda lake, covers a surface area of 3,712 square kilometers (1,433 square miles) and holds the distinction of being Türkiye’s largest lake. Discoveries of microbialites are continually being made in the lake. Following last year’s discovery of a vertically oriented microbialite measuring 36.4 meters in length, divers have now found a longer microbialite extending horizontally.
Cumali Birol, president of the Upper Sea Association operating in Adilcevaz, explained that divers explored an area where no previous dives had been conducted. At approximately 16 meters deep, they filmed the microbialite that stretched nearly 70 meters horizontally.
Birol said, “Last week, we discovered the highest quality and most beautiful images of microbialites we have ever captured. Following the 36.4-meter vertical microbialite we found before, this time we discovered a new microbialite approximately 70 meters long, lying horizontally at 16 meters depth.”
Highlighting the abundance of microbialites in the area, Birol added, “This region is literally teeming with microbialites. We dived in a place where no one had before. The footage from this area is so stunning that we encountered what is effectively a microbialite field. The approximately 70-meter-long microbialite breaks off in one place and continues again, which is an exciting discovery for us. We plan to promote this for tourism."
"We have to open these areas for tourism. The cleanest shores of Lake Van lie between Ahlat and Adilcevaz. Through the training we provide at our diving school, we aim to support this initiative, and in the coming years, we plan to bring the Adilcevaz Castle Russian shipwreck into tourism as well, inviting diving enthusiasts to this area,” he said.
