groundwater system and hundreds of ephemeral saline lakes characterized by complex acid
brines. These acid saline lakes and groundwaters have pH as low as 1.4 and salinities as
high as 32% total dissolved solids. The low pH formed by a combination of processes
dependent upon the host rock lithology and mineralogy, climate, weathering, organisms,
and time. Although these modern acid saline environments are relatively rare, they have …