Tufa formations rising as high as 10 meters along the shore of Mono Lake in California. Tufa towers form under water during a chemical reaction when when the calcium in underground springs rise up to mix with carbonates in the lake water. Tufa is visible today because of the low lake level brought about by water diversions begun in 1941 meant to slake the thirst of a growing Los Angeles four hundred kilometers to the south. Mono Lake is a saline lake approximately 21 km long with a maximum depth of 48 meters.