Danakil Desert
{{short description|Desert in northeast Ethiopia}}
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| name = Danakil Desert
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| map_image = The Danakil Desert.png
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| country ={{flagicon|Ethiopia}} Ethiopia
{{flagicon|Eritrea}} Eritrea
{{flagicon|Djibouti}} Djibouti
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| area_km2 =136956
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The Danakil Desert (or Afar Desert) is a desert in northeast Ethiopia, southern Eritrea, and northwestern Djibouti. Situated in the Afar Triangle, it stretches across {{convert|136,956|km2|mi2}}{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} of arid terrain. 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 {{convert|50|C|F}}.{{cite news |last=Yee |first=Amy |title=Gazing Into Danakil Depression's Mirror, and Seeing Mars Stare Back |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/science/danakil-depression-ethiopia.html |date=30 January 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=31 January 2017 }} Less than {{cvt|25|mm|0}} of rainfall occurs each year. The Danakil Desert is one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth.
Climate
Dallol (92 metres below sea level), has the highest average temperature recorded on earth. Dallol features an extreme version of a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) typical of the Danakil Desert. Dallol is the hottest place year-round on the planet and currently holds the record high average temperature for an inhabited location on Earth, where an average annual temperature of 34.6 °C (94.3 °F) was recorded between the years 1960 and 1966. The annual average high temperature is 41.2 °C (105.4 °F) and the hottest month has an average high of 46.7 °C (116.1 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded is 49 °C (121 °F). In addition to being extremely hot year-round, the climate of the lowlands of the Danakil Depression is also extremely dry and hyperarid in terms of annual average rainy days as only a few days record measurable precipitation. The hot desert climate of Dallol is particularly hot due to the extremely low elevation, it being inside the tropics and near the hot Red Sea during winters, the very low seasonality impact, the constants of the extreme heat and the lack of nighttime cooling.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Dallol (1960-1966)
|Jan record high C = 39
|Feb record high C = 42
|Mar record high C = 48
|Apr record high C = 46
|May record high C = 49
|Jun record high F = 119
|Jul record high F = 121
|Aug record high F = 119
|Sep record high F = 119
|Oct record high C = 46
|Nov record high F = 111
|Dec record high C = 41
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 36.1
|Feb high C = 36.1
|Mar high C = 38.9
|Apr high C = 40.6
|May high C = 44.4
|Jun high C = 47.2
|Jul high C = 45.6
|Aug high C = 45.0
|Sep high C = 42.8
|Oct high C = 41.7
|Nov high C = 39.4
|Dec high C = 36.7
|Jan mean C = 30.3
|Feb mean C = 30.5
|Mar mean C = 32.5
|Apr mean C = 33.9
|May mean C = 36.4
|Jun mean C = 38.6
|Jul mean C = 38.7
|Aug mean C = 37.6
|Sep mean C = 37.3
|Oct mean C = 35.6
|Nov mean C = 33.2
|Dec mean C = 30.8
|Jan low F = 76.3
|Feb low F = 76.3
|Mar low F = 78.8
|Apr low F = 80.8
|May low F = 83.3
|Jun low F = 86.8
|Jul low F = 89.2
|Aug low F = 88
|Sep low F = 88.8
|Oct low F = 85.3
|Nov low F = 80.8
|Dec low F = 78.3
|Jan record low C = 22
|Feb record low C = 22
|Mar record low C = 21
|Apr record low C = 21
|May record low F = 73
|Jun record low C = 25
|Jul record low C = 24
|Aug record low C = 24
|Sep record low F = 81
|Oct record low F = 79
|Nov record low C = 24
|Dec record low C = 24
|source = D.E. Pedgley, "Air Temperature at Dallol, Ethiopia," Meteorological Magazine v.96 (1967): 265–271
{{cite web
| title = MM_09_1967
| url = https://digital.nmla.metoffice.gov.uk/IO_43e9b8d3-2438-48e3-b503-0596ab9a4942/
| publisher = Met Office
| accessdate = 22 January 2023
{{cite web
|url = http://www.erm.com/PageFiles/5699/Draft-Scoping-Report/Chapter-8-part-1-Draft-Scoping-Report.pdf
|title = Allana Potash Corp, Ethiopia Project
|access-date = 2014-08-11
|publisher = Environmental Resources Management
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151120080828/http://www.erm.com/PageFiles/5699/Draft-Scoping-Report/Chapter-8-part-1-Draft-Scoping-Report.pdf
|archive-date = 20 November 2015
|df = dmy-all
}}
|date = January 2013}}
Geology
Local geology is characterized by volcanic and tectonic activity, various climate cycles, and discontinuous erosion. The basic geological structure of this area was caused by the movement of tectonic plates as Africa moved away from Asia. Mountain chains formed and were eroded again during the Paleozoic. Inundations by the sea caused the formation of layers of sandstone, and limestone was deposited further offshore. As the land rose again, further sandstone formed above the limestone. Further tectonic shifts caused lava to pour out of cracks and cover the sedimentary deposits.
The Danakil Desert has a number of lakes formed by lava flows that dammed up several valleys. Among these is Lake Afrera, which has thick saline crusts on its banks. Other areas of the Danakil became sinks, dry endorheic basins as precipitation evaporates faster than it can collect in permanent lakes. The area is flanked toward the east by the Danakil Alps, a tabular mountain system that has a few volcanic cones which peak in height in Mount Ramlo ({{convert|2,130|m|ft}}).
File:ET Afar asv2018-01 img06 Lake Karum area.jpg on Lake Karum]]
The land surrounding the Danakil Depression was once part of the Red Sea. The salt deposits were created when water from the Red Sea flooded the area and then evaporated. The most recent flood was roughly 30,000 years ago. While the water is gone, salt remains in extraordinarily large quantities, and has proven to be a valuable — and fatal — commodity for locals.
A deposit of salt up to {{convert|800|m|ft}} thick can also be found in the Salt Plain flatlands. Other local lakes include Lake Asale ({{convert|116|m|ft}} below sea level) and Lake Giuletti/Afrera {{convert|80|m|ft}} below sea level, both of which possess cryptodepressions in the Danakil Depression. The Afrera contains many active volcanoes, including the Maraho, Dabbahu, Afdera and Erta Ale.{{cite book|last1=Marco Stoppato|first1=Alfredo Bini|title=Deserts|date=2003|publisher=Firefly Books|isbn=1552976696|pages=[https://archive.org/details/deserts00stop/page/160 160–163]|url=https://archive.org/details/deserts00stop/page/160|access-date=17 September 2014|url-access=registration}}{{cite book|last1=Facts On File, Incorporated|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East|date=2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-1438126760 |page=7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC|access-date=17 September 2014}}
Human presence
File:Le Tour du monde-06-p069.jpg
In 1974, anthropologists discovered an Australopithecus afarensis fossil at Hadar, Ethiopia in the Awash Valley. The remains were found to be female and named Lucy.{{Cite web |last=atlasofhumanity.com |title=Ethiopia, Danakil Desert |url=https://www.atlasofhumanity.com/danakil |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=Atlas Of Humanity |language=en}}
The Afar people mine salt, loading each of their camels with up to thirty salt bricks weighing four kilograms each. It will then take two days to get to the nearest town, with guards watching the camels and guarding them from bandits.{{cite web |title=Inside Ethiopia's sizzling cauldron|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160913-inside-ethiopias-sizzling-cauldron |publisher=BBC |access-date=22 November 2016}} There is a project to flood the depression by carrying out a channel from the ocean.{{From whom?|date=August 2022}} In the past, salt was used as a form of currency in the region, but now the miners use regular cash to conduct transactions.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{coord|14.2417|N|40.3|E|source:kolossus-eowiki|display=title}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
{{Regions of Africa}}
{{Deserts}}
Category:Ecoregions of Djibouti
Category:Ecoregions of Eritrea
Category:Ecoregions of Ethiopia