In northern Ethiopia lies the Danakil Depression, one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth. It is a desert landscape being torn apart from below. This is the Afar Triple Junction, a 'Y' shaped rift where three of the planet's great tectonic plates—the Arabian, Nubian, and Somali—are pulling away from each other. The plates separate at about 20 millimeters a year, stretching the continent so thin that magma boils close to the surface. This is the birth of a new ocean on dry land. In 2005, this incredible force ripped a 60-kilometer gash in the desert floor in just days, with some cracks opening 8 meters wide. The process is relentless, and one day the Red Sea will flood this basin, splitting Africa in two.
The Danakil Depression
In Ethiopia's Danakil Depression, a continent is splitting apart, creating some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
Chapter 1
The Earth Tearing Apart
0:51
Part of
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Danakil Depression so geologically active?
It sits on the Afar Triple Junction, where the Arabian, Nubian, and Somali tectonic plates are pulling apart. This rifting thins the Earth's crust, allowing magma to rise close to the surface, causing volcanoes and earthquakes. This process is creating a new ocean floor on land.
Is there really no life in the Dallol hydrothermal pools?
A 2019 study confirmed that some specific pools are completely sterile. The unique combination of extreme heat, hyper-acidity, and high concentrations of magnesium salts prevents any known form of life from surviving, marking an absolute limit for life on our planet.
Who was 'Lucy' and why was she important?
'Lucy' is the nickname for a 3.2-million-year-old fossil skeleton of an Australopithecus afarensis, an early human ancestor. Discovered in the region in 1974, she was the first specimen to provide clear evidence that our ancestors walked upright long before they developed large brains.
Learn more
To continue the story, download the Chunks Microlearning app
Or get it straight away:
Download on iOS
Download on Android