Gaet'ale Pond

Gaet'ale Pond is a small hypersaline lake located near the Dallol crater in the Danakil Depression (Afar, Ethiopia). It is located over a hot spring of tectonic origin and has no apparent inlet or outlet streams. The water of Gaet'ale Pond has a salinity of 43%, making it the saltiest water body on Earth.[1]

Gaet'ale Pond
General view
Gaet'ale Pond
LocationAfar Region, Ethiopia
Coordinates14°12′48″N 40°19′17″E
Typehypersaline lake
Primary outflowsNone
Max. length60 m (200 ft)
Max. width40 m (130 ft)
Salinity433 g/kg
Hot spring in the pond

Location and origin

Gaet'ale pond is the largest of a series of small ponds located approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) southeast of Dallol springs. It is crescent-shaped with a diameter of about 60 metres (200 ft).

According to residents of the nearby village of Ahmed'ela, an earthquake in January 2005 reactivated a thermal spring and the pond was created.[2] For this reason its temperature of 50–55 °C (122–131 °F) is hotter than the environment.[3]

Composition of the water

The salts in the water of Gaet'ale Pond are mainly composed by calcium chloride (CaCl2) at 2.72 mol/kg and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) at 1.43 mol/kg. It also contains small amounts of Na+, K+ and NO2− ions. The total amount of dissolved solids content is 433 g/kg or 43.3%. It also contains traces of Fe3+ that form a complex with Cl−, giving the water a characteristic yellow color.[1]

Bubbles of odourless gas are emitted from the lake surface. It is likely volcanically produced CO2. Bird and insect corpses have been found around the pond, and it has been proposed that the gas may be harmful for small animals or humans.[3]

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References
  1. Perez, Eduardo; Chebude, Yonas (April 2017). "Chemical Analysis of Gaet'ale, a Hypersaline Pond in Danakil Depression (Ethiopia): New Record for the Most Saline Water Body on Earth". Aquatic Geochemistry. 23 (2): 109–117. doi:10.1007/s10498-017-9312-z.
  2. Master, Sharad (2016). "Gaet'ale - a reactivated thermal spring and potential tourist hazard in the Asale salt flats, Danakil Depression, Ethiopia". Journal of Applied Volcanology. 5: 1–9. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  3. Fox-Skelly, Jasmin (4 August 2017). "In Earth's hottest place, life has been found in pure acid". BBC Future. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
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