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The
Danakil Depression and Erta Ale |
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The
Afar region is part of the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Since
the late 19605 it has attracted the attention of researchers
because of its uniqueness as the world’s only active,
suberial triple junction where the complex tectonics
and volcanism of an area between three separating
lithospheric plates can be observed on dry land.
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Any
one who wants to visit the homeland of LUCY the
Great, Great, Great --- grandmother of the 6 Billion
people of the world has to travel to the Afar
region. |
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From
archaeological point of view it was from this region that
LUCY, the most important hominid skeleton dated at about
3.5 million years discovered. |
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Ethiopia is a land of natural contrasts, from the
tops of the rugged semien mountains to the depths
of the Danakil depression, which, at 120m below
sea level, is one of the lowest dry land points
on earth.
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"Erta Ale" is found in the Afar depression at 13.6°N, 40.67°E, 613m . It is a shield volcano, which has a base diameter of 30km and is only 500m high. In its vast summit caldera (1600x700m) there are two pit craters. The larger one (300-400m diameter) in the northern part contained a lava lake in 1968 and 1973 but is now inactive. A central, but smaller pit (140m diameter, 60 to 90m deep) now has an active lava lake 60m wide and 100m long |
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Travel Insurance
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