Namak Lake

Namak Lake
Namak Lake
Coordinates	34°30′N 51°52′E / 34.500°N 51.867°E / 34.500; 51.867Coordinates: 34°30′N 51°52′E / 34.500°N 51.867°E / 34.500; 51.867
Type	salt lake
Primary inflows	Qom Tehran
Basin countries	Iran
Max. depth	1 m (3 ft 3 in)
Surface elevation	790 m (2,590 ft)

Namak Lake (Persian: دریاچه نمک‎, translit. Daryāče-ye Namak‎, i.e., salt lake) is a salt lake in Iran. It is located approximately 100 km (62 mi) east of the City of Qom and 60 km (37 mi) of Kashan at an elevation of 790 metres (2,590 ft) above sea level.

The lake is a remnant of the Paratethys sea, which started to dry from the Pleistocene epoch, leaving Lake Urmia and the Caspian Sea and other bodies of water. The lake has a surface area of about 1,800 square kilometres or 690 square miles, but most of this is dry. Water only covers 1 square kilometre or 0.4 square miles. The lake only reaches a depth between 45 centimetres (17.72 in) to 1 metre (39.37 in). The most important water supply is the river Qom.