Lake Mâțelor

Salt lake in Transylvania, Romania

45°52′37″N 24°04′07″E / 45.87707°N 24.06848°E / 45.87707; 24.06848TypeSalt lakeSurface area1,232.5 m² (13,267 sq ft)Max. depth74.70 m (245.1 ft)

Lake Mâţelor (Romanian: Lacul Mâţelor) is a natural salt lake in the town of Ocna Sibiului, Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania. It is one of the many lakes of the Ocna Sibiului mine, a large salt mine which has one of the largest salt reserves in Romania.

Name

Lacul Mâţelor means lake of the small cats or lake of the kittens.

History

The salt mine on which it is located is not documented, but it was exploited in the late middle-ages with a bell-system, at a depth of more than 80 m through two wells.

Information

Surface: 1,232.5 square metres (13,267 sq ft)
Maximum Depth: 74.70 metres (245.1 ft) (2nd of the mine's lakes, behind Lake Avram Iancu-Ocniţa)
Salinity: 34 g/L at the surface, up to 323 g/L at 8.5 m depth.