August 26, 2014 – The Great Rift Valley (Dallol-Erta Ale)
(Copied from the official Ethiopian Post Office presentation folder/pamphlet)
The Great Rift Valley is one of an amazing land features on earth formed by subterranean forces
ripped the earth’s crust and stretching from Lebanon to Mozambique. The Ethiopian sector of the
East African Rift system extends for more than 1000 km in a North east-South west to North -South
direction from the Afar depression, at Red Sea-Gulf of Aden junction, southwards to the Turkana
depression. In central Ethiopia the Great Rift Valley splits the Ethiopian highlands into northern and
southern halves, and the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes occupy the floor of the rift valley between the
two highlands.
The Ethiopian Great Rift Valley is marked by the lakes of Zeway, Shala, Abyata, Langano, Awassa,
Chmao and Abaya. These lakes are habitats for many aquatic animals and plants including the
endemics. The lakes are favored for bird watching and are sanctuaries for aquatic birds,
hippopotamus, crocodiles and fish species like Nile perch, catfish, Tilapia and Tiger fish.
National parks are also part of this Rift valley system constituting well conserved bio diversity, large
population of mammals and therapeutic hot springs. Here, one cannot only enjoy nature but also the
interaction between nature and authentic local culture.
Erta-Ale Active volcano
Erta-Ale is a continuously active basaltic shield volcano in the Afar Regional state. In local Afar
language, Erta-Ale means ‘smoking mountain’. Its height is 613 meters (2,011 ft) and since it is
located within a depression below sea level, Erta-Ale is one of world’s lowest volcanoes. And it is
one of only a handful of continuously active volcanos in the world.
The volcano contains a 0.7 x 1.6 km elliptical summit crater with several steep-sided pit craters, one
of them containing a lava lake. Another larger 1.8 x 3.1 km wide depression, elongated parallel to the
trend of the Erta-Ale range is located to the South east of the summit and is bounded by curvilinear
fault scarps on the South east side. Fresh-looking basaltic lava flows from these fissures have poured
into the caldera and locally overflowed its rim.
Erta-Ale is one of the main attractions of the Danakil, and had become a popular destination in recent
years as it is one of the only five known volcano’s with lava lakes globally; Erta-Aie often has two
active lava lakes.
Dankil Depression
The Dankil Depression, in Afar regional state, is a rift valley that parallels the Red Sea in northern
Ethiopia. It is a minor structure related to the rift between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. As the
rift opens, the floor of the Danakil Depression subsides. After millions of years of subsidence, the
deepest part of the depression is about 410 feet below sea level. It is one of the lowest points on
Earth.
Dankil is one of the world’s most spectacular landscapes: a vast area of uplifted thick salt deposits
affected by intense fumarolic activity, probably caused by an active volcanic system beneath several
kilometers of evaporation salt deposits. The amazing colours seen at the site, white yellow, green and
red ochre are due to the strong presence of sulphur, iron oxide, salt and other minerals. This creates a
feeling of presence at some where extra-terrestrial.
Dallol is also part of the depression, one of the hottest places year-round anywhere on Earth. The
climate varies from around 25°C (77°F) during the rainy season (September — March) to 48°C
(118°F) during the dry season (March — September). Dallol currently holds the official record for
record high average temperature for an inhabited location on Earth, where an average annual
temperature of 35°C (96°F) was recorded between the years 1960 and 1966.
Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism Office