MOONLAND
2023 - 2024
The East African Danakil Depression formed from the continental drift of the African and Asian tectonic plates. As the plates drifted apart at a rate of 1-2 cm per year, they leave behind a geological depression, a Moon like landscape, known as the Danakil Depression.
The Danakil Depression sits at the triple junction between three tectonic plates. This Moonland Depression spans Djibouti, Eritrea, and the region of Ethiopia. The Danakil Depression, which sits more than 100m below sea level and contains some of the world’s most extraterrestrial landscapes. Beyond its fascinating geology, the Danakil holds the keys to some of biology’s most profound questions. In 1974, researchers found the remains of ‘Lucy’ in the Danakil Depression, an early ancestor of modern humans dating back 3.2 million years (now on display at the National Museum in Addis Ababa). The acidic springs of the Dallol Crater have attracted scientists in the search for extremophile microbes as they seek to understand the origins of life on Earth.
(source: Brilliant Ethiopia)
Model: Hazel Ashanti
Landscape images: taken during a visit to this region to enhance this project Moonland
The Danakil Depression is the hottest place on Earth.
It’s also one of the lowest land destinations on Earth, at over 100m below sea level. Average temperatures sit between 40°C and 50°C annually, and the region sees no more than 100-200mm of rainfall each year, all of which evaporates immediately under the extreme heat. The Danakil Depression is so hot because of its low elevation, the fact that it is part of the wider Danakil desert region, and that it experiences little seasonal cooling due to its equatorial position. The Danakil is also close to the Red Sea, a warm sea that does not provide cooling during winters.
(source: Brilliant Ethiopia)
