<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/deadsea_sinkhole9.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/deadsea_sinkhole9.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/deadsea_sinkhole9.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > 1 of 17 A large sinkhole is seen at the abandoned tourist resort of Ein Gedi in Israel along the shore of the Dead Sea on July 11, 2016. Experts have warned that the Dead Sea, the lowest and saltiest body of water in the world, is on course to dry out by 2050, with the emergence of sinkholes forcing the closure of roads and beaches, as well as damaging agriculture. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)

Bordering Israel, the West Bank and Jordan, the Dead Sea is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. Located at the lowest point on Earth, it has drawn thousands of tourists to its spa resorts and mineral-rich waters. But in recent years, this natural wonder has been drying up, leaving thousands of perilous sinkholes along its shores. The sinkholes have swallowed up trees, roadways, beaches, and popular tourist resorts .

The photos in the slideshow above show the results of this unfolding ecological disaster, abandoned remnants and collapsed buildings of the Mineral Beach Resort and Ein Gedi Spa, and damaged roadways. The sinkhole problem, which stems from the shrinking of the Dead Sea, has (unsurprisingly) impacted tourism in the area.

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The shrinking of the Dead Sea is due to the diversion of water from the Jordan River (which feeds the Dead Sea) and mineral mining from its waters in the south, according to LiveScience. And the shrinking is happening at an alarming rate—the surface level is dropping more than three feet a year . As the lake recedes, the fresh water aquifers along the perimeter are receding along with it. "As this fresh water diffuses into salt deposits beneath the surface of the shoreline, the water slowly dissolves the deposits until the earth above collapses without warning," according to the Smithsonian.

The once-popular Mineral Beach resort in the northern Dead Sea was closed in 2015 when it can no longer guarantee the saftey of their guests after a sinkhole engulfed the parking lot, treatment rooms and several palm trees . In recent years, large Dead Sea beaches have been closed, and a bridge, a few sections of highways, and the main road in the area have been put out of service due to sinkholes, leading to transportation snarls. The road closures have affected more than just tourism. They have led to detours that go past a nature reserve, which environmentalists have warned will have major effects on the landscape and wildlife in the region, according to Haaretz.com.

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