By Devaa Ramalingam – Art in Tanzania intern
Environmental Advocacy Program
In the northeastern parts of Ethiopia, there is an alien landscape that is home to the hottest plays on Earth. Getting to such a place requires an expedition team with jeeps, camels, and lots of water. It is situated around a cinder cone volcano in the Danakil desert. The Dallol hot springs are one of a kind; abandoned settlements can be found on the outskirts.

It holds the record for the highest temperature for an inhabitable place. In 1966, it averaged 95F or 35C; during this time, the temperature would reach up to 120 or 150 degrees. Not only being the hottest places on the planet it’s also one the most remote, paved roads are being put in by villagers, but jeeps and camel caravans are essential and are used today to collect and transport salt from the area.
When it comes to salt mining, the locals have had a unique adaptation to their bodies that allows them to work through the heat yet keep cool. They look for cracks in the ground, which will chip away with an axe-like tool to split the ground further. Once a defined crack opens, the workers will put multiple sticks in the hole and jump up and down to pop the salt block out of the earth.

Long ago, when the oceans were much higher, the whole area was flooded with water. As the water disappeared, it left a large crust, which explains the salt across the desert. But what about fresh bubbling boiling salts that emerge from the hot spring for which Dallol is known? The salty waters from the Red Sea are pushed up through the rock’s surface by the volcanic pressure below, resulting in this alien landscape we see today.
The pools of water may look tempting in the scorching sun, but they are concentrated pools of acid. These are identified by yellow colour. Most of the acid pools here are sulphuric acid. The consequences of falling into any one of these pools are instantaneous burns.