Harsh climes
DANAKIL DEPRESSION,
ETHIOPIAThe Dallol salt dome, seen here,
rises from the floor of
the Danakil Depression –
part of the East African Rift,
and one of the hottest places on
Earth – in northern Ethiopia.
The Dallol salt dome lies at the
heart of a system of hot springs,
geysers, salt flows and oily lakes
that give off acidic gas and
smoke. The dome forms as briny
water from springs evaporates
when it reaches the surface,
leaving the salts behind.
As conditions here are thought
to be similar to those that
prevailed on our planet when life
first emerged, the area is of
great interest to those studying
‘extremophile’ life forms.
Until recently, scientific
research in the area has been
limited, due to the war between
Ethiopia and neighbouring
Eritrea. But January 2016
saw a team of ecologists,
microbiologists, geologists
and crystallographers spend
two weeks gathering samples
under military protection.
Since then, they’ve been busy
analysing all the specimens
they’ve collected. All we know
so far is that they can “confirm
the presence of extremophilic
microorganisms,” but
astrobiologists, in particular,
will be waiting to read their
findings with great interest.