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Dallol Volcano | John Seach
Danakil Depression, northern Ethiopia
14.24 N, 40.30 E
summit elevation -48 m (Below sea level on land)
Explosion crater.
Dallol in the Danakil depression of northern Ethiopia is the one of the lowest points on earth, and the world's hottest inhabited location. Dallol is the lowest altitude subaerial volcano in the world, and is entirely below sea level. Between 1960 and 1966 the annual mean temperature at Dallol was 34 deg C. The area has a wild and impressive landscape which is visited by few people.
Dallol volcano, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Dallol volcano, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Saltiest pool in the world (>400 g/L), on Lake Asale salt plain, Ethiopia.
March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Dallol volcano, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Lake Asale (Lake Karum), Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Dallol volcano, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Dallol thermal springs, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Salt mountain, Dallol, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Salt trucks, Dallol, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Potash deposits, Dallol, Ethiopia.
These are possibly the world's youngest marine potash formations.
The thickness of the potash deposits are from 15-40 m.
March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Dallol thermal springs, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Dallol thermal springs, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
Dallol thermal springs, Ethiopia. March 2024 expedition by John Seach
The Dallol hot springs are an important economic source of manganese, potash, and rock salt. The volcano is located in an area 120 m below sea level on land. The hot springs at Dallol were formed by explosive eruptions which formed maars.
The Dallol Geothermal Area is an important region for astrobiology studies as the environment hosts life forms at the natural physical-chemical extremities. Fluids in the Dallol area are salty (> 500g/L) and acidic (pH ~ 0.5).
Further reading
López-García, J.M., Moreira, D., Benzerara, K., Grunewald, O. and López-García, P., 2020. Origin and evolution of the halo-volcanic complex of Dallol: proto-volcanism in Northern Afar (Ethiopia). Frontiers in Earth Science, 7, p.351.
Cavalazzi, B., Barbieri, R., Gómez, F., Capaccioni, B., Olsson-Francis, K., Pondrelli, M., Rossi, A.P., Hickman-Lewis, K., Agangi, A., Gasparotto, G. and Glamoclija, M., 2019. The Dallol geothermal area, Northern Afar (Ethiopia)—An exceptional planetary field analog on Earth. Astrobiology, 19(4), pp.553-578.
Darrah, T.H., Tedesco, D., Tassi, F., Vaselli, O., Cuoco, E. and Poreda, R.J., 2013. Gas chemistry of the Dallol region of the Danakil Depression in the Afar region of the northern-most East African Rift. Chemical Geology, 339, pp.16-29.
Edelmann, J. and Roscoe, R., 2010. Volcano tourism in Ethiopia and the Danakil rift zone. In Volcano and Geothermal Tourism (pp. 59-67). Routledge.
Dallol Volcano Eruptions
1926