Pamukkale — Travertine Terraces Thermal Pools

Description

Pamukkale’s travertine terraces are formed by thermal spring water at 36°C that carries a high concentration of calcium bicarbonate; as the water cools and is exposed to air on the terraces, calcium carbonate precipitates and forms the white mineral stalactite and terrace structures visible at the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The photograph of the active terrace pools — where the thermal water still flows — requires obtaining a permit for the pools section that allows photographers to work within the roped access routes. This image was made at 7am from the upper terrace looking downhill: the white calcite terraces step down the hillside to the agricultural plain of the Çürüksu River valley below, each terrace pool filled with turquoise thermal water whose colour is the result of suspended calcium carbonate particles. The sky reflected in the pools alternates with the chalky white of the non-submerged terrace sections.