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Sylvhia
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It looks like another planet, but it is on Earth: the Dallol Volcano
Situated in the north-east of Ethiopia, in the Danakil Depression, the crater is the result of the explosion of a magma chamber of the Rift Valley, located under a major deposit of salt left after the Red Sea had retreated from this depression. The region, a vast and saline desert land, where temperatures can reach up to sixty degrees, is considered one of the most inhospitable places on earth.
This vast and desolate area is known for its curious geological formations: acidic hot springs, mountains of sulfur, cones of salt, small gas geysers, pools of acid isolated by frames of salt crystals and concretions of evaporites, sulfur, chloride magnesium or soda solidified. All on a white background, yellow, green or red ocher colors given by the strong presence sulfur, iron oxide, and various other minerals.
The site, like many other volcanoes in the area is the result of removal of the Arabian plate from the African plate with the creation of a new perspective on the seabed in extension from the Red Sea.
In the Afar language, "Dallol" means "dissolved" in reference to the many acidic sources that often become death traps for animals and humans.
The area of the volcano is a vast saline wasteland to the edges of which are located many fairy chimneys, occupied by many sulphurous hot springs, geysers, fumaroles, sulfur and salt deposits, concretions shaped terrace and fountain. The salt of the depression is mixed with volcanic minerals such as sulfur, to create unique crystalline formations in the world.<img alt="" src="http://38.media.tumblr.com/8eccef8fb125b1706b1173d6103b72cf/tumblr_mit4biPGYF1qahceco3_500.jpg
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In certain hot springs occur for small castings bisulphites salt and sulfur. The minerals flow from chimneys and geysers that abound on the site.
Often the geygers and fumarole emissions are toxic. Not infrequently near the small craters there are corpses of small animals. In addition the fragile soil hide acidic tanks that are real traps for animals and humans. Another peculiarity, small geysers, found only in this place. There are yellow permanent gases trail on the surface of the ponds with acid concretions sponge shaped formed from salt crystals or emission of droplets of hot water with strange gurgling.
The formations of fairy chimneys made of salt form the relief of the crater, giving the volcano an unusual appearance. These geological formations have been formed when the Red Sea flooded several times depression, many thousands of years ago. The subsequent evaporation of seawater, have formed impressive salt deposits , partly made up of soda columns.
Due to the particular conditions of the site, the Dallol a volcano is unique in its characteristics, even if part of the Erta Ale volcano, has very similar forms of sulfur emissions and saline.
The region is uninhabited. Only Afar people lives nearby; they are dedicated to the salt extraction and then they carry it by camels, in towns hundreds kilometers away from the depression. The geothermal potential of the site is, for the moment, not exploited.
The last volcano eruption, a phreatic eruption, dates back to 1925
(Phreatic eruption, also called a phreatic explosion or ultravulcanian eruption, occurs when magma heats ground or surface water. The extreme temperature of the magma (anywhere from 500 to 1,170 °C (932 to 2,138 °F)) causes near-instantaneous evaporation to steam, resulting in an explosion of steam, water, ash, rock, and volcanic bombs)
In the crater area there is a ghost town, the remains of an Italian site of the extraction of potassium,built in the colonial era and abandoned in the thirties. It was re-used by the Americans in the fifties, as scientific and military basis. Everything was completely abandoned in the sixties. Remains of the settlement are still visible with steel frames corroded and rusted by the acid volcano moisture and progressively covered with concretions produced by hot springs.*Attention please* - - "This translation (and / or content) is made by Sylvhia exclusively for "I Nove Mondi Forum". In case of partial or full release is mandatory to link to the original source and the required credits".
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallol_(vulcano)
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It looks like another planet, but it is on Earth: the Dallol Volcano02 Ottobre 2014 |
