texture." From:   http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/inorganic/faq/carbonate-decomposition.shtml   About Alkali lakes   ( from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkali )  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Natron  148,000 acres, (Sodium Carbonate).  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natron In alkali lakes (a type of salt lake ), evaporation concentrates the naturally occurring alkali salts, often forming a crust of mildly basic salt across a large area. Examples of alkali lakes: Alkali