Gaet'ale Pond

Gaet'ale Pond is a small hypersaline lake located near the Dallol crater in the Danakil Depression. 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.

Location and origin

Gaet'ale Pond is the largest of a series of small ponds located approximately southeast of Dallol springs. It is crescent-shaped with a diameter of about.
According to residents of the nearby village of Ahmed'ela, an earthquake in January 2005 reactivated a thermal spring and the pond was created. For this reason, its temperature of is hotter than the environment.

The salts in the water of Gaet'ale Pond are mainly composed by calcium chloride at 2.72 mol/kg and magnesium chloride at 1.43 mol/kg. It also contains small amounts of Na⁺, K⁺ and [nitrite|] ions. The total amount of dissolved solids content is 433 g/kg, or 43.3%. It also contains traces of iron(III) that form a complex with chloride, giving the water a characteristic yellow color.
Bubbles of odourless gas are emitted from the lake surface. It is likely volcanically-produced carbon dioxide. 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.