Chinese officials and environmental experts are investigating a plateau lake that has turned pink.

我国官员和环境专家正在调查一个变成粉红色的高原湖泊。

The one-square-km lake is part of Qinghai Lake complex in Qinghai province. It is separated from the main lake by a sand strip.

该湖泊面积为1平方公里，是青海省青海湖湖区的一部分，与青海湖之间隔有一块狭长沙地。

Officials with the Qinghai Lake Preservation¹ and Administration Office said a large amount of mud and weeds were tainted² by a "pink-colored substance."

青海湖景区保护利用管理局的官员表示，一种“粉红色物质”使大量淤泥和海草呈现粉红色。

Water samples have been sent to the Institute of Hydrobiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, Hubei, for analysis, the officials said.

该管理局的官员称，水样目前已被送往湖北省武汉市的中国科学院水生生物研究所进行分析。

The officials were only alerted after a member of the public uploaded images of the pink lake to the internet, sparking heated debate.

在一名民众将这个粉红色湖泊的照片传到网上、引发热议后，该管理局的官员才得知此事。

"The lake is surrounded by pastures and small settlements. There is no industry nearby, so we can rule out the hypothesis that the lake was polluted that way," said a statement posted on the office's website.

该管理局网站上发布的一则声明称：“该湖泊周边为草场和小型定居点，附近没有任何工业，因此可以排除湖泊遭到工业污染的猜测。”