Turquoise river Rio Celeste: only recently have scientists been able to uncover the secret of its color

A magical turquoise river flows in the north of Costa Rica in the province of Alajuela and is the pearl of the Tenorio National Park. Actually, it is called so - "the blue river", or Rio Celeste (Rio Celeste). Its enchanting waters flow down a powerful waterfall and continue its course deep into the green forest.

And in 2013, a team of scientists from the University of Costa Rica and the National University decided to act differently. They took water samples from Rio Celeste and its two tributaries. When people saw that the samples in the test tubes were completely transparent, and then noticed that the water had a bright turquoise hue only in the riverbed, they began to think about a possible theory of optical illusion.

Looking at Rio Celeste better, they noticed a certain white layer that covered the rocks and the bottom of the river. Electron microscopy showed the presence of aluminum, silicon and oxygen in the mineral. In other words, it was a substance called aluminosilicate. It is thanks to him that the same optical illusion arises: the sunlight reflected from it deceives the human eye, forcing the water to be seen in bright turquoise.

The answer turned out to be much easier than thought. However, this does not make Rio Celeste less attractive, it is still able to conquer the beauty of the heart of everyone who visits it.