High above the red desert of Utah, a strange sight shimmers in the sun. Imagine flying over an endless stretch of ochre cliffs and rusty canyons, only to spot enormous pools of electric blue water glowing like spilled paint across the landscape. These are not lakes, nor are they natural wonders. They are the Potash Evaporation Ponds near Moab, and their almost alien colours have stunned astronauts in orbit, drivers on desert roads, and hikers staring down from the cliffs of Dead Horse Point. They look like art, but they are science and industry at work.
Mining Hidden Treasure Beneath the Desert
Beneath the red rock lies a mineral born of an ancient sea. Potash, a vital ingredient for fertilisers and glassmaking, rests thousands of feet underground. Instead of digging deep tunnels, companies turned to a different trick. Water from the nearby Colorado River is pumped down nearly 1,200 metres into the earth. It dissolves the mineral-rich layers, creating a brine that is then drawn back up to the surface.
What happens next is the real spectacle. The brine is poured into a series of shallow evaporation ponds. To the casual eye, they look like colossal swimming pools in the desert. Yet they hold not leisure but the slow process of transforming dissolved potash into harvestable crystals.
Why So Blue?
The colour is no accident. Workers add a bright blue dye to the brine. This simple step supercharges evaporation by helping the ponds soak up more sunlight and heat. In Utah’s dry desert air, the water vanishes steadily over months. What remains are glistening layers of potash ready for collection.
The colours do not stop at blue. As the ponds evaporate, they transform into shades of turquoise, green, orange, yellow, and even pale tan. Each colour signals a different stage of evaporation. Seen from above, it is like watching a giant painter’s palette drying under the desert sun. Astronauts on the International Space Station have photographed the ponds because they stand out so vividly against the natural reds and browns of the desert.
A Harvest from the Sky
The evaporation process takes about 300 days, almost a full year. Once the ponds are ready, massive scrapers collect the crystallised potash. From there, it is processed into fertiliser, glass, ceramics, soap, and even used in battery production. One facility can produce up to 120,000 tons each year. It is an operation that mixes natural resources with human engineering, and its results can be seen both on farms across the world and from the heavens above.
A Tourist Attraction by Accident
What began as a purely industrial process has become an accidental attraction. Travellers driving along Potash Road, officially State Route 279, find themselves stopping for photos as the pools sparkle in the distance. From Dead Horse Point State Park, visitors can look down on the ponds glowing like gems in the desert. Drone pilots capture surreal videos of geometric blue shapes pressed against the backdrop of ancient canyons.
Still, visitors cannot swim or step inside. The ponds sit on private property, and the brine is far from safe for people. The best way to experience the view is from the road or scenic overlooks. For many, it is enough. The contrast between red desert and shining blue water is something they never forget.
An Extraordinary Collision of Nature and Industry
The Potash Evaporation Ponds are more than just bright pools in a desert. They tell a story of how humans coax treasure from beneath the earth and how a simple splash of dye can create a sight so strange it seems unreal. They reveal the link between ancient seas, modern farming, and the wild beauty of the American West. In a world where industry often hides itself, these ponds cannot help but dazzle anyone who happens to look down from the sky.
