Is there life in Danakil Depression?

Those who say they have found life in the Danakil Depression “On Mars, you have mineral deposits and sulphate deposits similar to those seen in the Danakil Depression. You also have active brine flowing periodically,” Cavalazzi told the BBC in 2017.

What happened at Danakil Depression?

The Danakil Depression is the northern part of the Afar Triangle or Afar Depression in Ethiopia, a geological depression that has resulted from the divergence of three tectonic plates in the Horn of Africa.

Why do scientists want to study life in the Danakil Depression?

Now, scientists are studying this area to understand the possibilities of life on other planets and moons, despite the region’s political volatility and sporadic violence between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Why is Danakil so hot?

It’s the hottest place on Earth and during the summer months, temperatures can get up to a high of 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit) thanks to geothermal heat caused by volcanic activity.

What makes dallol Ethiopia so lifeless?

After some time, inactive springs oxidize and become brown just like metal rusts in the rain. The process repeats for years, drenching an otherwise lifeless area in incredibly vibrant tones. Sulphur and solidified black lava engulf some springs; vibrant cyan pools hide poisonous waters.

What is the green stuff in the Danakil Depression?

Hydrothermal system at Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression, where uniquely extreme life persists in salt chimneys and surrounding water. Yellow deposits are a variety of sulphates and red areas are deposits of iron oxides. Copper salts color the water green. Image credit: Felipe Gomez/Europlanet 2020 RI.

Who lives in the Danakil Depression?

3 Believe it or not, people live in the Danakil. The Afar people who live there eek out a living on the few plants which can survive in this region, raising camels, and now servicing the few tourists who come into the region.

Can you visit Dallol?

Touted as one of Earth’s most volcanic regions, Dallol in Danakil Desert of has long been abandoned. Except a few locals, or ‘Afar’ as they are called, the region is hardly visited by tourists.

What can we learn from the Danakil Depression?

The hot springs in Danakil Depression offer a research opportunity for studying extremophile microbes. The Danakil Depression is the hottest place on Earth in terms of year-round average temperatures. It is also one of the lowest places on the planet at 100 metres (330 ft) below sea level, and without rain for most of the year.

Is there life in Danakil?

It would seem that life would be nearly impossible in Danakil. However, it’s pretty tenacious. Hydrothermal pools and hot springs in the region are teeming with microbes. Such organisms are called “extremophiles”because they thrive in extreme environments, like the inhospitable Danakil Depression.

Where is the Danakil Depression located in Ethiopia?

Location. The Danakil Depression is a plain, some 200 by 50 km (124 by 31 mi), lying in the north of the Afar Region of Ethiopia, near the border with Eritrea. It is about 125 m (410 ft) below sea level and is bordered to the west by the Ethiopian Plateau and to the east by the Danakil Alps, beyond which is the Red Sea.

Why is the Danakil Depression the hottest place on Earth?

The Danakil Depression is the hottest place on Earth in terms of year-round average temperatures. It is also one of the lowest places on the planet (100 m below sea level), and without rain for most of the year. Here, the Awash River dries up in a chain of salt lakes such as Lake Afrera, never reaching the Indian Ocean.