Dead Sea

General Purpose: To inform

Specific purpose: The audience will know that the Dead Sea is devoid of all plant and aquatic life, why the sea is so salty and the health benefits.

Thesis or central idea: The Dead Sea has a unique environment

Main Points:

a. The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water anywhere

b. The Dead Sea is devoid of all plant and aquatic life

c. The Dead Sea area has become a major center for health research and treatment

Introduction: You know why they call it the dead sea? Because absolutely nothing live in it. It is some of the salties water anywhere in the world. My love for geology grew out of an experience with a friend whos child was doing a earth science project on plate tectonics and needed help. I'll never forget the name of the book "Earth in Motion" it left a lasting impression on me and led me to study more on this subject. I've been reading about this for approximately 10 years and am always amazed at the new material I find . My latest discovery was that the Dead Sea is one of the salties bodies of water anywhere, that it is devoid of all plant and aquatic life and that it has become a major center for health research and treatment.

I. The Dead Sea is one of the salties bodies of water anywhere

A. The Dead Sea is completely landlocked

B. The Dead Sea is continually fed water from the rivers and streams coming down off the mountains that surround it.

1. No river drains out of the Dead Sea

2. The only way water gets out of the sea is through evaporation

II. The Dead Sea is devoid of all plant and aquatic life

A. The water in the Dead Sea is deadly to most living things

B. Even though the Sea is deadly to most living things humans are remarkably adaptable to the seas salty conditions. Humans can swim is the Dead Sea, just like they swim in the ocean

1. Humans don't really swim in the sea, instead they just "hang out

2. Because of th extremely high concentration of dissolved

mineral salts in the water its density is way more that that of fresh water, which means are bodies are more buoyant in the Dead Sea.

III. The Dead Sea area has become a major center for health research and treatment

A. The Dead Seas deep black clayey sediment, previously covered with water at times of higher sea level, are being mined for therapeutic purposes and for the preparation of cosmetic products under the name 'Black Mud'.

1. Black mud is a natural product of the Dead Sea. The mud is now marketed worldwide, often advertised with images and text evoking the mystery, symbolism, legend, and history associated with a region sacred to three of the world's major religions People suffering from Psoriasis have found the Dead Sea atmosphere and swimming in the sea very helpful. Smearing mineral rich Dead Sea Mud on the body, provides a healing process for the skin, and broadens the capillary veins. It is known that King Solomon, Queen Cleopatra and Herod the Great all visited the Dead Sea for these cures.

B. The atmosphere of the Dead Sea is unusually rich with oxygen, magnesium, and bromide, minerals.

2. This improves the delivery of oxygen to the heart and lungs, thus improving patients' cardiac performance.

3. Cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes mucus to form in part of the lungs and predisposes the patient to chronic lung infections. The Dead Sea's high oxygen level led to the patients having more oxygen in their blood, therefore improving the efficiency of breathing for cystic fibrosis patients. This made them more able to exercise and enjoy daily life.

4. The extraordinarily high concentration of minerals found in the Dead Sea's mud, sulfur pools, thermonuclear springs and surrounding atmosphere also aided the breathing of patients with respiratory problems and pulmonary disorders.

5. Due to evaporation, the unusually high levels of minerals in the atmosphere at the Dead Sea make the surrounding air not only rich in oxygen, but also free of pollen and the sun's harmful rays

Conclusion: I hope that with this little bit of information you now have a better understanding of my fascination with the Dead Sea and its unique environment

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