Perhaps the most intriguing of Mono Lake's phenomena are the tufa (pronounced "toofah") towers visible along much of the shoreline.
Tufa are made from calcium carbonate which makes its way into the lake from underground springs.
The calcium and carbonate combine to form limestone which builds up over time around the lake bottom spring openings.

About 100 years ago this was all under the lake water. Declining lake levels have exposed the tufa towers we see today. Some of these tufa towers are up to 30 feet high.