

Lava flows partially buried in clay, north of the Awash River Delta

The Dallol sulphur spring precipitates in white and grey, then turns to yellow, then orange as it gets more oxidized

The salt at Lake Assal is exploited by local Afaris who transport it by camel for human consumption

Entryway to a home in Aseyla village near Lake Abhe

Pinnacles of mineral deposits on the edge of Lake Abhe

Mudflats with scattered volcanic rocks are mingled with pinnacles of mineral deposits on the edge of Lake Abhe

The briny water of Lake Afrera is pumped up onto the gently sloping plain to the north

The salt at Lake Afrera is harvested by hand for human consumption

Harvesting salt at Lake Afrera, where it is said to be the hottest inhabited place on Earth

Local Afari boys waiting to sell clay figurines and animal horns to the sprinkling of visitors to Lake Abhe

Cemetery used by Afari nomads amidst lava flows partially buried in clay

Afari men bringing their herd of cattle home after a day of grazing in the flood plain of the Awash River

Waiting for a new water well to start pumping just outside the village of Dichoto

Barchan dunes and associated eroded marine sediments 20 miles southeast of Lake Afdera

The Afar Depression has been inundanted by changing sea levels, and the soft clay surface is covered in marine sediments and small sea shells

Afa geyser field near the Awash River

Normal faults have left massive slabs of bedrock tilting over as they fall into the ever-widening East African Rift

Cemetery near Catherine Ash Ring volcano, south from Ahmed Ela

Erta Ale volcano, which has one of the few permanent lava lakes in the world

This black spring is 150 m. below sea level in the middle of a salt flat in a surreal and hazardous landscape

Sulphur-rich minerals grow orange-colored crystals near Dallol hot springs

When the sulphurous waste drains away, the salty mineral formations slowly bleach to white from extreme heat and intense sunlight

Pinnacles of brightly colored mineral salts form a labyrinth of spiky rain-eroded terrain on the southwest side of Dallol hot spring

Thick layer of cracked mud from a massive rain and mud flow event rests against the lava flields near Catherine Ash Ring volcano

Tigrean and Afari men prying slabs of salt out of the dry section of Lake Assale which will be carried by camel to Tigre province

Caravans of camels and donkeys carrying salt from Lake Assale across the East African rift

Tigrean and Afari men having dinner at an open air restaurant in Ahmed Ela after a day of gathering blocks of salt

The level of Lake Assal appears to be dropping as there are old lake shore levels and associated sediments visible around the lake

A collection of naturally occurring ridges of salt that have emerged from beneath the sediments of Lake Assal, and their origin is not known

This animal skull was placed on the lake shore so that it would be come coated in salt and sold as a souvenir to visitors who come here from the capital