Birth of an Ocean: The Evolution of Ethiopia's Afar Depression
Formation of an ocean is a rare event, one few scientists have ever witnessed. Yet this geophysical nativity is unfolding today in one of the hottest and most inhospitable corners of the globe. Visit the site in safety through this extraordinary photographic essay
Birth of an Ocean: The Evolution of Ethiopia's Afar Depression
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MIRAGE OR HALLUCINATION? Most years the greatest concern for the Afar people is finding adequate water. But the rains were unusually heavy in late 2006, and many of the salt fields remained flooded throughout my visit in January 2007... Eitan Haddok
SALT OF THE EARTH The closest places to sell or exchange the salt are located in the Ethiopian highlands to the west--about a six days' walk for the camel caravans used to transport this unlikely export. Eitan Haddok
SALT OF THE EARTH Salty traces of past deluges give the modern people of Afar a modest means to benefit from their baked and barren homeland. These nomadic herders collect the salt by hand, wielding wooden stakes and hatchets to break the thick layers into manageable blocks... Eitan Haddok
FATEFUL FLOODS In other areas, alternating layers of salt and reddish marine sediment are visible in eroded canyon walls. Eitan Haddok
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FATEFUL FLOODS When sea level dropped and Afar was once again cut off from the sea, the floodwaters evaporated. Wind and water sculpted the salty traces of these past inundations over the ensuing millennia, sometimes carving bizarre formations called salt mushrooms... Eitan Haddok
FATEFUL FLOODS The salt sculptures on the opposite page and others that decorate Afar serve as a reminder that the birth of an ocean is not a singular event but rather an ongoing saga. During the 30 million years this region has been stretching thin, global sea level has fluctuated, at times filling Afar with seawater... Eitan Haddok
POISON OR ELIXIR? Near reddish pools of bubbling-hot, iron-rich water, the strong odor of hydrocarbon is a telltale sign of danger. Animals sometimes stop for a drink--not realizing it will be their last... Eitan Haddok
LETHAL FUMES The surreal landscape of the Dallol crater results as rain-water percolates deep underground, heats up as it contacts hot magma and rises to the surface through thick layers of salt, dissolving the salt as it travels... Eitan Haddok
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HELLISH HEAT The mineral sulfur produces the lemon-yellow color in this earthly palette ( left ); blended with the signature red of oxidized iron, the sulfur stains turn orange ( center ). Only a few steps away from this vivid scene are drab, desiccated reminders of a hot spring's ephemeral nature ( right )... Eitan Haddok
HELLISH HEAT One hundred kilometers north of Erta Ale, near the Eritrea border, is the Dallol crater. There molten magma simmering below the surface fuels a vast plumbing network of superheated water... Eitan Haddok
LAKE OF LAVA Lava emerging from cracks in the lake is particularly spectacular at night, when the sight evokes the phantoms of local lore. Eitan Haddok
LAKE OF LAVA Most of the Afar people do not approach the volcano, because it is thought to harbor evil spirits. Seeing an Afar warrior on the volcano's summit is unusual; this man, Ibrahim, was my guide... Eitan Haddok
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LAKE OF LAVA Typically, though, blocks of basalt float like icebergs on the fiery liquid rock, which reaches 1,200 degrees C (2,190 degrees F). Eitan Haddok
LAKE OF LAVA Atop Erta Ale is one of the earth's few quasi-permanent lava lakes. The flux of heat from the earth's interior is rarely sufficient to keep rock molten under the cooling effect of the atmosphere... Eitan Haddok
RISING ABOVE The highest point in sunken Afar is Erta Ale, or "smoking mountain" in the language of the local people. Erta Ale is the northernmost volcano in a long chain that follows the so-called East African Rift... Eitan Haddok
GHOSTLY SALT DEPOSITS Near Afdera volcano testify to ancient inundations in Ethiopia's Afar region. In the past 200,000 years the Red Sea flooded Afar's lowlands at least three times; the salt stayed behind as the seawater evaporated... Eitan Haddok
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AFAR DEPRESSION This area marks the north end of the East African Rift, a3,500-kilometer-long zone of tectonic turmoil that is tearing the continent in two ( arrows on globe ) The detail shows a segment of the depression... Kevin Hand
