Ethiopia's Salt Ponds May Contain One of the Few Places Life Cannot Survive on Earth

The Dallol pools are likely so hot, salty and acidic that even extremophile microbes are unable to enter.

By Nathaniel Scharping
Dec 4, 2019 9:00 PMDec 17, 2019 3:10 PM
Dallol Header
Ethiopia's Dallol ponds, where conditions are so hot, salty and acidic that life cannot find a way. (Credit: Tanguy de Saint-Cyr/Shutterstock)

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In the salt pools of Dallol, in northern Ethiopia, life faces some of the most extreme barriers to survival anywhere on Earth. Not only are the colorful ponds hot and highly acidic, but they are located above a massive dome of salt, pushing salinity levels to 10 times those of the ocean or higher.

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