Imagine: you are on another planet — poisonous gases shoot from beneath the ground, the endless desert soil is covered with layers of salt and acid. Among this lifeless land lie various lakes, their water yellow or greenish due to high sulfur content, even hotter than fire.
This extremely dangerous place truly exists. Although few people know about it, reaching it is nearly impossible, and returning alive is a true miracle.
About the “Gates of Hell”
This perilous area is in northern Ethiopia, in the region locals call Danakil. On the map, it is in the Afar Depression, more than 100 meters below sea level. Here, three massive lithospheric plates meet.
These plates are constantly moving, creating terrifying landscapes on Earth’s surface. The depression is about 40 km long and 10 km wide, but numbers cannot express the full magnitude. Surrounded by cliffs and flat mountains, nature seems to have mixed acid, fire, and salt in a giant bowl.
Why breathing and moving is dangerous?
In Danakil, air and ground can kill a person in seconds. The average temperature is around 35°C but can rise above 50°C. The scorching sun burns all life, and rain is almost nonexistent.
The depression is covered with a thick salt layer formed over millions of years. Beneath it lie hot acidic lakes. Toxic sulfur gas escapes through cracks. Falling into such a fissure leads to death in seconds from chemical burns. Breathing is dangerous — acid fumes corrode the lungs.
The desert’s fiery lake
The most astonishing and frightening part of the depression is the Erta Ale volcano, known locally as the “Smoky Mountain.” At its peak, a lava lake has been boiling for decades. At night, red streams are visible for tens of kilometers.
Lava does not solidify; it constantly boils. Streams color surrounding mountains red and black. Scientists believe such processes happened billions of years ago when the Earth was forming.
How humans survive here?
It seems impossible, yet people live here. The Afar tribes have inhabited the edges for centuries. For them, salt is “white gold.” Men carry sticks and knives, trek the scorching plains, make heavy salt slabs, and transport them on camels to distant markets.
If one faints from heat or gas, there is no return. The Afar know each fissure — where safe, where the ground may become dangerous. They are accustomed to living near toxic gases, but outsiders are rarely allowed.
A unique place for scientists
Danakil is a treasure for geologists and paleontologists. Here, plate movements are visible. Scientists can observe the formation of Earth’s crust and future oceans firsthand.
A major discovery in the 1970s: ancient human remains were found nearby — a woman about 3 million years old, named Lucy. She walked on two legs but had an ape-like skull. This proved humanity arose in such harsh volcanic areas.
Why ordinary people should not go?
Today, tourists rarely enter Danakil. Political conflicts on the Ethiopia-Eritrea border increase risk. Extreme heat, toxic gases, and armed patrols make travel extremely dangerous.
Local authorities rarely grant permission. Expeditions must hire Afar guards, as only they know safe paths. Others cannot enter.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
