On 18 June 2019 Atlas Obscura’s Kelly Oakes described the Dallol volcano area in Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression as a land of toxic chlorine and sulfur vapors, iron-rich salt “mushrooms,” and near-boiling springs that explorers once called a land of death.
Scientists visit the site as a Mars analog to study extremophile life and planetary geology, while tourism pressure raised questions about protecting a fragile landscape that can teach researchers what to seek on other worlds.
Kept as science and tourism archive, the Atlas Obscura feature dates mid-2019 interest in Dallol as both research ground and visitor draw.
Sources: Atlas Obscura