A small lake of high salinity, it is the site of complex biochemical phenomena, linked to cycles of evaporation and of infiltration of waters.

Solar Lake became isolated from the Red Sea as littoral sediments closed off an embayment between two rocky headlands.

[2] Monohydrocalcite and other carbonates appear to be deposited in Solar Lake by the action of benthic cyanobacterial mats (stromatolite), which may be 1 m thick.

[4][5] At night the top metre of surface water loses heat to the cold desert air but insulates the lower layer.

The insulated lower layer continues to gain solar energy each day and to accumulate heavy brine from above.