Lake Assal

Lake Assal is a hypersaline crater lake in Djibouti’s Afar Depression. Its shore is Africa’s lowest point, about 155 meters below sea level.

Hypersalinity: A condition in which water has a salt concentration far above that of typical seawater. Lake Assal’s water is among the saltiest natural waters on Earth.
East African Rift: A system of active continental rifts extending through eastern Africa. Lake Assal lies in a region shaped by the rift system’s tectonic extension.
Salt mining: The extraction of naturally occurring salt deposits for use or sale. Salt has been harvested from Lake Assal’s shores for local use and commerce.
Danakil Depression: A low, hot region spanning parts of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti within the Afar Triangle. It shares the Afar region’s extreme heat, low elevations, and active geology.
Evaporation: The change of a liquid into vapor at its surface. Intense evaporation removes water from the lake while leaving dissolved salts behind.
Rifting: The stretching and thinning of Earth’s crust that can form faults and basins. Crustal extension helped create the basin that holds Lake Assal.
Salt trade: The exchange and transport of salt as a commodity. Caravans historically carried salt from the lake region across the Horn of Africa.
Lake Abbe: A saline lake on the Ethiopia–Djibouti border, known for limestone chimneys and geothermal activity. It is another unusual saline lake in Djibouti, but has a different landscape and setting.
Gulf of Tadjoura: A gulf of the Gulf of Aden that extends into Djibouti. Underground connections allow seawater from the gulf to replenish the lake.
Volcanism: The eruption or movement of molten rock and associated gases within Earth’s crust. Volcanic activity has shaped the surrounding Afar landscape and its crater terrain.

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