INTERESTING   FACTS   ABOUT  THE   DEAD   SEA

Why is it Called the Dead Sea

Well, simply because nothing lives in it. There is no seaweed or moss that collects on the bottom or any fish or creatures living in or near the water. As a matter of fact, what you’ll see on the shores of the Dead Sea is white crystals of salts covering EVERYTING.

The salts found in the Dead Sea are mineral salts, just like any other ocean except these salts are extremely concentrated. The water in the Dead Sea is so concentrated that it is considered deadly to all living things EXCEPT humans. We can swim in the Dead Sea just like any other body of water except people don’t really “swim”, we float! Because the Dead Sea is extremely concentrated with dissolved mineral salts, the water density is much greater than any other salt water including the ocean. So instead of swimming in the Dead Sea, you just float on top of the water like a cork.

How did the Dead Sea Form

In this part of the world there is a rift forming where two crustal plates are spreading apart. The East Rift Valley runs through most of Africa, but it starts north of the Dead Sea and runs south along the eastern side of the continent. The Sea is located right along the Rift Valley were the Earth’s crust is being stretched thin. To get an idea of how this “crustal spreading” occurs, take a bar of taffy and try to pull it apart. You’ll see where the candy starts to stretch it gets really thin just before its breaks. That’s what is happening to the Earth’s crust in the Rift Valley. Where the Earth’s crust gets thin that part of the surface sinks lower. The Dead Sea is still sinking lower even today. Scientist figure the Dead Sea sinks an average of 13 inches each year! On a geological time scale that’s incredibly fast!

Why is the Dead Sea so Salty

Approximately three million years ago the Mediterranean Sea penetrated the East Rift Valley, emptying seawater into the region. This deposited enormous amounts of salt in the region. Over time, the early lagoon that had formed became separated from the nearby lakes as the Mediterranean Sea withdrew. Since then, the Dead Sea has been continually fed water from the Jordan River and other small streams that surround it. The most unique aspect of all this is the evaporation that occurs. This is the only way water gets out of the Dead Sea. And boy does it evaporate! This part of the world gets plenty hot!! When the water evaporates, it leaves behind all the dissolved minerals in the Sea, just making it saltier. In fact, it’s a combination of the action of (1) huge deposits of salts from the ancient Mediterranean ocean (2) continued evaporation and (3) mineral salts carried in the sea from the local rivers; the Dead Sea continues to get saltier.

Since the water does not escape and just traps the salts within its shores, evolution has not had a chance to produce any creatures that could adapt to such brutal conditions.

In ancient times the Dead Sea area aroused a surprising degree of interest. One of these is mentioned in the Song of Songs (1:14), in which King Solomon rhapsodises: "My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphor in the vineyards of “Ein Gedi”.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) was the first to inform the wider world of this stretch of peculiar water, reporting it was so bitter and salty that no fish lived in it, nor could a bound man or beast sink. The bituminous material known as ‘Judean Asphalt’, which periodically rose to the lake’s surface, was used in embalming, waterproofing, building, agriculture, fuel and for medical purposes.

Did you know

There is a microbe that grows in the Dead Sea that is teaching scientists about the art of DNA repair.

How does Jericho Penetrate

Penetration is Trans Epidermal:

• The body recognizes the minerals
• Molecules are small enough to penetrate
• Osmosis takes place

Osmosis

Reverse Osmosis

Movement of solvent in the opposite direction from osmosis.

MSO  (Mineral Skin Osmoter)

• Accelerates precutaneous absorption
• Its active ingredients penetrate the skin due to its high ionic concentration gradient

Emollient

• Slate oils – Layer on the Dead Sea
• Checking inflammations, relieving itching, alleviating pain, regenerating the skin, normalizing cell mitosis and enhancing the skin’s moisture