View from the southwest shore, "Old Marina", looking east. The rocks started out as pumice ejected from an ancient volcano, which then became waterlogged and sank to the bottom of the lake. There, carbonate minerals formed a durable accretion layer called "tufa". Nearby are picturesque tufa towers which were also formed underwater but by a different mechanism. The lake's water level is lower now than during most of its recent past due to the diversion of water from creeks entering the lake by the City of Los Angeles. These diversions have now largely ended, and the lake surface, at about 1940 m elevation, is slowly beginning to rise. It is a very large lake and its water is twice as salty as sea water - no fish live here. The brown hill on the left belongs to nearby Paoha Island.