| Danakil Alps | |
|---|---|
| Highest point | |
| Listing | List of mountain ranges |
| Dimensions | |
| Width | 40–70 km (25–43 mi) |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Arrata (Afar) |
| Geography | |
| Countries | Etiopia and Eritrea |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Miocene |
| Rock type | Limestone |
The Danakil Alps are a highland region in Ethiopia and Eritrea with peaks over 1000 metres in height and a width varying between 40 and 70 kilometres.[1] The area is known in the Afar language as Arrata. The alps lie along the southern Red Sea[2] to the east of the Danakil Depression[3] and separate it from the sea.[4] The alps are asymmetric in cross-section with a comparatively gentle rift escarpment facing the Red Sea and intense normal faulting on the inland side.[2]
In the northern part of the alps the basement rock is less elevated and there are many volcanic edifices,[2] such as those forming the Nabro Volcanic Range. The largest of the Nabro Volcanic Range edifices are the Mallahle, Nabro, and Dubbi. The volcanic range extends northwestward to the Red Sea, ending with the Kod Ali volcano offshore.[5]
The Danakil Alps have been cut off from the sea since the late Pleistocene.[6]
- ^ "Ethiopian (Danakhil) Potash Project, Afar, Ethiopia". mining-technology.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Varet, Jacques (2017). Geology of Afar (East Africa). Regional Geology Reviews. Springer. p. 68. ISBN 9783319608655.
- ^ "Curiosities of the Danakil Depression". NASA. 27 August 2014.
- ^ Handford, C. Roberson (1991). "Chapter 1 – Marginal Marine Halite: Sabkhas and Salinas". In J.L.; Melvin (eds.). Evaporites, Petroleum and Mineral Resources. Elsevier. p. 44. ISBN 9780080869643.
- ^ Pierre Wiart; Clive Oppenheimer (2005). "Final desiccation of the Afar Rift, Ethiopia". Science. 67 (2): 99–115. doi:10.1007/s00445-004-0362-x. S2CID 129124049.
- ^ Enrico Bonatti; Cesare Emiliani; Göte Ostlund; Harold Rydell (1971). "Final desiccation of the Afar Rift, Ethiopia". Science. 172 (3982): 468–469. doi:10.1126/science.172.3982.468. PMID 17758081. S2CID 34061051.