Photo of a person walking on mineral deposits to avoid yellowish-green toxic water

This man is stepping on mineral deposits to avoid the toxic water in the Dallol area of Ethiopia.

Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo

STANDARDS

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4

NCSS: People, Places, and Environments • Science, Technology, and Society

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GEOGRAPHY

Watch Your Step!

Visiting Dallol, Ethiopia
Watch a video about the toxic volcanic ponds at Dallol, Ethiopia.
Map of Africa with the country of Ethiopia being pointed out

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

After a long journey by camel across the hot, dry terrain of northeastern Ethiopia’s Dallol area, you top a ridge and gaze down at a surprising sight: large ponds of bright-green water surrounded by oddly shaped mounds. But resist the urge to guide your camel down to this valley for a swim—or even to dabble your toes in the water. These pools are filled with hot, bubbling water so it would eat away at your skin. Not quite the refreshing break you’d hoped for!

This unusual location is the Danakil of East Africa, one of the hottest places on Earth. Here, daytime temperatures can reach 125° Fahrenheit or higher.

Enlargeable photo of a person walking on mineral deposits to avoid yellowish-green toxic water

Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo

Gases bubbling up through the water smell like rotten eggs. Microbes in the Danakil ponds may offer clues as to how life might exist in harsh conditions on other planets.

The Danakil sits in a highly volcanic area, near where three tectonic plates meet. Molten rock, toxic gases, and steaming-hot water ooze up through cracks in Earth’s surface.

As the water evaporates, it leaves mineral deposits that form the alien-looking mounds. Those minerals include salt, one of the few natural resources of value in the area. It is mined and traded by people of the region.

Enlargeable map of Ethiopia and its capital, Addis Ababa

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

SKILL SPOTLIGHT: Reading a Map

1. What is the capital of Ethiopia?

2. In which direction would you travel to go from that city to the Dallol area?

3. Which countries share a border with Ethiopia?

Geography
Human Environment Interactions, Place
microbes

(n) extremely small living things that can be seen only with a microscope

 

Bacteria, which are microbes, can make people sick, but only a small percentage of them actually cause disease.
tectonic plates

(n) a huge, slow-moving slabs of rock that are part of Earth’s crust

 

Earthquakes usually occur in places where shifting tectonic plates meet.
depression

(n) a place that is lower than the surrounding area

 

The rainwater collected in the depression in the sidewalk, creating a deep puddle.
acidic

(adj) containing acid, a substance that reacts with and sometimes dissolves other materials

 

Helene loves orange juice, but because it’s acidic, it upsets her stomach if she drinks too much.

Teaching Resources
videos (1)
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Geography

Visiting Dallol, Ethiopia

Watch a video about the toxic volcanic ponds at Dallol, Ethiopia.
Skills Sheets (1)
Text-to-Speech