Dallol
In one of the hottest places on Earth, acid pools glow neon yellow and green among chimneys of salt.
What was reported
Dallol lies in the Danakil Depression of north-eastern Ethiopia, more than 100 metres below sea level, and has one of the highest average temperatures of any place where people live. Its hot springs have built a landscape of salt terraces and chimneys in bright yellow, green, orange and white.
Afar people have long cut salt in the area and carried it away by camel caravan.
Explanations offered
The colours come from minerals such as sulphur and iron salts deposited by hot, extremely acidic and salty water rising through the volcanic ground. In 2019 a study reported that some pools are so extreme that no life could be found in them at all, making them useful for studying the limits of life.
- When
- Ongoing
- Where
- Danakil Depression, Afar, Ethiopia
- Witnesses
- Afar salt traders and visiting scientists
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.