Lake Abbe, also known as Lake Abhe Bad, is a

salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...

, lying on the

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

border. It is one of a chain of six connected lakes, which also includes (from north to south) lakes Gargori, Laitali, Gummare,

Bario Bario is a community of 13 to 16 villages located on the Kelabit Highlands in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, lying at an altitude of 1000 m (3280 ft) above sea level. It is located close to the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, 178 k ...

and Afambo. The lake is the ultimate destination of the

Awash River The Awash (sometimes spelled Awaash; Oromo: ''Awaash'', Amharic: አዋሽ, Afar: ''We'ayot'', Somali: ''Webiga Dir'') is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia and empties into a chain of ...

, which is at the center of the

Afar Depression The Afar Triangle (also called the Afar Depression) is a geological depression caused by the Afar Triple Junction, which is part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. The region has disclosed fossil specimens of the very earliest hominins; tha ...

. Lake Abbe is considered one of the most inaccessible areas of the earth. The water itself is known for its

flamingos Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean) ...

. The scenery is unique.

Overview

Lake Abbe is the ultimate destination of the waters of the

. It lies at the

Afar Triple Junction The Afar Triple Junction (also called the Afro-Arabian Rift System) is located along a divergent plate boundary dividing the Nubian, Somali, and Arabian plates. This area is considered a present-day example of continental rifting leading to seaf ...

, the central meeting place for the three pieces of the Earth's crust, a defining feature of the

. Here three pieces of Earth's crust are each pulling away from that central point, though not all at the same speed. On the northwest shore rises

Mount Dama Ali Mount Dama Ali is a wide shield volcano in Ethiopia, on the shore of Lake Abbe Lake Abbe, also known as Lake Abhe Bad, is a salt lake, lying on the Ethiopia-Djibouti border. It is one of a chain of six connected lakes, which also includes (fr ...

(1069 m), a dormant volcano, while along the southwestern and southern shores extend vast

salt flats Salt flats, Salt flat, Salt Flats, or Salt Flat may refer to: Geology *Salt pan (geology), a flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals * Dry lake, an ephemeral lakebed that consists of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali sal ...

, 10 km in width. Besides the Awash, seasonal affluents of Lake Abbe include two

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

s, the Oleldere and Abuna Merekes, which enter the lake from the west and south, crossing the salt flats. Although the present area of the lake's open water is , recent droughts and extraction of water from the Awash River for irrigation has caused the water level of the lake to fall. By 1984, the surface area of the lake had decreased to two thirds of what it was in 1940. During this period about of saltflats had formed to the southwest of the lake. Lake Abbe is a

hypersaline lake A hypersaline lake is a landlocked body of water that contains significant concentrations of sodium chloride, brines, and other salts, with saline levels surpassing that of ocean water (3.5%, i.e. ). Specific microbial species can thrive in ...

; water containing mineral salts flows in but there is no outflow, and pure water evaporates from the surface. It is also known as an "amplifier lake", the water level fluctuating dramatically in response to quite small changes in climate. East Africa-Lake Abbe

The

Afar people The Afar ( aa, Qafár), also known as the Danakil, Adali and Odali, are a Cushitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, as well as the entire southern co ...

have established a settlement near the lake's shore. Lake Abbe is known for its

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

chimneys, which reach heights of and from which steam spews forth. These carbonate chimneys are formed by the mixing of lake water and a deeper geothermal fluid.

Flamingos Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean) ...

can also be found on the waters.

Gallery

File:Lac Abbe-02.JPG, Sunset at Lake Abbe. File:Lac Abbe.JPG, Dry part of Lake Abbe. File:Lac Abbe 2.JPG,

Swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

y part of Lake Abbe. File:Flamants roses du Lac Abbe.JPG,

at Lake Abbe.

Climate

The Lake Abbe's climate offers year-round sunny skies and dry air. It has less than mean annual rainfall and a summer average temperature between . Temperatures in the coldest months range between on average.

References

External links

*
Photos of Lake Abbe

* Recent trip t
Lake Abbe with photos
(English) * Photographs of the limestone chimneys o
Lake Abbe
February 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbe Afar Region Awash River Lakes of Djibouti Bodies of water of Djibouti Lakes of Ethiopia Saline lakes of the Great Rift Valley Djibouti–Ethiopia border International lakes of Africa Important Bird Areas of Ethiopia