Why in the news?

• Scientists predict that Africa’s Afar region could become Earth’s next ocean basin.

Ethiopia’s Afar Depression

• Other Name: Danakil Depression or  Afar Triangle.
• Location: Located in northeastern Ethiopia, extending into Djibouti and Eritrea.
• Fact: One of the lowest, hottest, and most tectonically active regions on Earth.
• Geomorphological Setting
  • Location: At the triple junction where three tectonic plates meet: the African (Nubian) Plate, the Somali Plate, andthe Arabian Plate.
  • Elevation: ~125 meters below sea level at its lowest point.
  • Known For
    • Volcanoes (Erta Ale)
    • Hydrothermal fields (Dallol)
    • Salt flats and rift valleys
    • Active rifting & seafloor spreading on land
  • Part of: East African Rift Valley

Source: The Indian Express