A Journey Through Ethiopia: Part 3 Inhospitable Habitats

An aerial view of Erta Ale.

Having climbed Nyiragongo in DRC, the opportunity to see another lava lake beckoned us into the harsh Afar region to climb another active volcano, Erta Ale, and to visit the inhospitable Dalol. This environment competes with Death Valley for hottest place on Earth and is at it’s deepest point 120m below the sea level. It is found at what geologists

term a triple junction, where 3 continental plates are pulling apart. When this happens, like in the depths of the ocean, chemicals and molten rock rush to the surface.

As we descended from the plateau into the valley, the vegetation changed.

Our first destination was Erta Ale. Dropping from the high-plateau in the Tigray, the temperatures slowly rose. Wheat-fields transitioned to scrub, cows and donkeys to goats and camels, and smiling farmers to suspicious rusty AK47 wielding camel keepers. Eventually we found ourselves crawling along in low range over a volcanic lava flow, a whisp of smoke rising from a distant hump. A few paths crisscrossed the sharp, jagged, black rocks and for were it for the occasional camel, or dry country lark the area seemed almost sterile. With this heat, we were relieved that we would be climbing in the dark. We arrived at the base camp, an unimpressive collection of grass and rock shelters, in time for a quick nap and light supper. Our guide negotiated with a camel owner to carry mattresses and water as other vehicles pulled up. Wanting to avoid walking in a crowd we left soon after dark, headlamps illuminating the rocky path as we slowly made our way towards the growing glow. That night we crossed the freshly hardened lava from an eruption last year to the edge of the smoking cauldron. The occasional wind change would engulf us in suffocating smoke, searing our eyes and lungs and sending us into coughing fits as we perched precariously on the edge, hoping for relief from the wind and a glimpse of the bubbling lava. As dawn approached we realized we would not see the actual lava, and began our descent racing the building heat. 

Standing on top of an old cone in the glow of the lava against a starry sky.

The race to avoid heat was going to prove to be futile. We climbed back into the vehicle and made the long way back up into the mountains and then back down along a beautiful winding road before emerging in a Mars like landscape of the northern Danakil depression. We crossed a stream and decided the camp vehicle should negotiate with the nearby village for a campsite while we continued. We stopped in a small village called Hamadilla, where an armed policeman joined us. A kilometer further and the tarmac ended abruptly and before us lay the great salt lake of Karum. We picked up a couple cold beers and drove out onto the lakebed to catch the stunning sunset.

The salt lake at sunset.

The next morning we were up at 5. The temperature had dropped to a reasonable warmth and we set off to catch sunrise at Dallol. Dallol, often mistaken for a volcano, is actually an upwelling of hot water and steam caused by a magma reservoir a couple kilometers below the surface. Rising through 1,000m of layer and layer of salt, the hot solutions mixed with primordial gases from deep within the Earth react pushing up this unassuming 60m high mountain, spewing and bubbling with so many chemical names that any scientific paper on the area looks like a random assortment of element and number combinations interspersed with random English words. Talk about wishing you’d paid a little more attention in chemistry class.

 

The incredible variety in chemical deposits, Dalol.

We stepped carefully between the salt pillars, navigated circular manifestations and acid pools, some with pH’s approaching 0.5. Kneeling down and looking for unique camera angles, the local guide would occasionally remind us, “that is really poisonous” or “don’t let that get in your eyes”. Our next stop was a series of a couple of ponds, where our guide explained that methane mixes with the water and makes it feel oily. Dead migratory birds lay on the edge where they had drunk the poisonous water. As the heat was building, we stepped back into the air-conditioned vehicle and sped across the salt flats. It was time to get back to the cool Ethiopian highlands.

A poisonous pond, Dalol.