Table of Contents
- 1 What is the Danakil Depression known for?
- 2 Why is the Danakil Depression an extreme place to live?
- 3 Why is there so much salt in the Danakil Depression?
- 4 How would you describe the Danakil plain in Ethiopia?
- 5 What animals live in Danakil Depression?
- 6 What is Danakil Depression Ethiopia?
- 7 Is Danakil Alps a block mountain?
- 8 Which is the lowest depression in Africa?
- 9 What can we learn from the Danakil Depression?
- 10 Why is the Danakil Depression the hottest place on Earth?
- 11 Is there life in Danakil?
What is the Danakil Depression known for?
A geological depression caused by the continental drift of three tectonic plates, the Danakil Depression is one of Earth’s most unusual environments. Renowned as the ‘hottest place on the planet’ and home to salt lakes, lava lakes, volcanoes, and colourful acidic springs – it’s a wonderful, alien environment.
Why is the Danakil Depression an extreme place to live?
The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is scorchingly hot and one of the most alien places on Earth. The vibrant colours are a result of rain and seawater from the nearby coast being heated by magma and rising up. The salt from the seawater reacts with the volcanic minerals in the magma, creating dazzling colours.
Does anyone live in the Danakil Depression?
To top it all off, it is also home to a volcano with one of the largest, open pits of exposed magma in the world. Despite all of this, however, people live in the Danakil Depression and manage to eek out of living in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet Earth.
Why is there so much salt in the Danakil Depression?
As they have done for centuries, miners travel hours — often by camel caravans — to extract salt slabs from the flat pans around Lake Afar. Salt is the region’s “white gold” and was a form of currency in Ethiopia until the 20th century.
How would you describe the Danakil plain in Ethiopia?
Denakil Plain, also spelled Danakil, also called Dankali, arid lowland of northern Ethiopia and southeastern Eritrea, bordering Djibouti. The Kobar Sink, a huge basin in the northern part of the plain, drops to 381 feet (116 m) below sea level. The Denakil Plain was formed by the evaporation of an inland sea.
Do people live in the Danakil desert?
It is inhabited by a few Afar, who engage in salt mining. The area is known for its volcanoes and extreme heat, with daytime temperatures surpassing 50 °C (122 °F). Less than 25 mm (1 in) of rainfall occurs each year.
What animals live in Danakil Depression?
More videos on YouTube
| Wildlife in Africa | ||
|---|---|---|
| Antelopes | Dik dik | Gazelles |
| Pangolin | Hartebeest | Serval |
| Zebra | Hippo | Yellow mungo |
| Lions | Nyala | Warthog |
What is Danakil Depression Ethiopia?
The Danakil Depression in northeastern Ethiopia is one of the world’s hottest places, as well as one of its lowest, at 100 metres below sea level. At the northern end of the Great Rift Valley, and separated by live volcanoes from the Red Sea, the plain was formed by the evaporation of an inland water body.
Is the Danakil Depression sinking?
The Danakil Depression lies between the Danakil Alps (east) and the Ethiopian Plateau (west), which were once joined until the rifting process tore them apart. The land surface is slowly sinking, and Danakil Depression will someday fill with water as a new ocean or great lake is born.
Is Danakil Alps a block mountain?
Examples of block mountains in Africa are; Pare and Usambara mountains in Tanzania, Ruwenzori mountains found at the border of Uganda and DR Congo, Danakil Alps of Ethiopia, Mau Ranges and the Aberdare Ranges of Kenya. Ruwenzori Mountain is the highest block mountain in Africa.
Which is the lowest depression in Africa?
The Qattara Depression contains the second lowest point in Africa at an elevation of 133 metres (436 ft) below sea level, the lowest point being Lake Assal in Djibouti….
| Qattara Depression | |
|---|---|
| Max. length | 300 kilometres (190 mi) |
| Max. width | 135 kilometres (84 mi) |
| Surface area | 19,605 square kilometres (7,570 sq mi) |
Were is Hadar?
Hadar, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the lower Awash River valley in the Afar region of Ethiopia. It lies along the northernmost part of Africa’s Eastern (Great) Rift Valley, about 185 miles (300 km) northeast of Addis Ababa.
What can we learn from the Danakil Depression?
The hot springs in Danakil Depression offer a research opportunity for studying extremophile microbes. The Danakil Depression is the hottest place on Earth in terms of year-round average temperatures. It is also one of the lowest places on the planet at 100 metres (330 ft) below sea level, and without rain for most of the year.
Why is the Danakil Depression the hottest place on Earth?
The Danakil Depression is the hottest place on Earth in terms of year-round average temperatures. It is also one of the lowest places on the planet (100 m below sea level), and without rain for most of the year. Here, the Awash River dries up in a chain of salt lakes such as Lake Afrera, never reaching the Indian Ocean.
Is Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression real?
But the area is very real — and it’s one of Ethiopia’s top attractions. One of the hottest places on earth (by average daily temperature) as well as one of the lowest (over 400 feet below sea level), the Danakil Depression entices three main types of people to the area: salt miners, scientists and travelers.
Is there life in Danakil?
It would seem that life would be nearly impossible in Danakil. However, it’s pretty tenacious. Hydrothermal pools and hot springs in the region are teeming with microbes. Such organisms are called “extremophiles”because they thrive in extreme environments, like the inhospitable Danakil Depression.