Salt Miners and Erta Ale Volcano
In Ethiopia’s Afar region, salt miners and camel caravans traverse the Danakil Depression—one of Earth’s hottest, most surreal landscapes. Nearby, the lava lake of Erta Ale and the acid springs of Dallol paint a vivid portrait of geological extremes and human resilience.
Full story after the images.
Danakil Depression: Salt, Fire, and the Afar Legacy
The Danakil Depression in northeastern Ethiopia is one of the most extreme environments on Earth — scorching, surreal, and geologically alive. Located in the Afar Triangle, where three tectonic plates diverge, it’s often called the hottest inhabited place on the planet. Here, Afar salt miners continue a centuries-old tradition, extracting salt slabs from the vast flats of Lake Assale. These are loaded onto dromedary caravans that snake across the desert, enduring blistering heat and isolation. The salt trade remains vital, linking remote communities to Ethiopia’s highlands.
In 2015, Joel Santos became one of the first to capture drone images of this region, revealing the scale and rhythm of the caravans and the stark geometry of the salt flats. His pioneering drone work offered a new visual language for documenting human resilience in hostile terrain.
Beyond the salt plains lies Dallol, a hydrothermal field unlike any other. Acidic springs, sulfur ponds, and mineral terraces form a palette of neon greens, yellows, and oranges. These formations result from volcanic gases and superheated groundwater interacting with salt deposits, creating a toxic yet mesmerizing landscape. Dallol holds the record for the highest average annual temperature ever recorded in an inhabited location, and its alien beauty continues to attract scientists and photographers alike.
Towering over this region is Erta Ale, a continuously active shield volcano known as the “gateway to hell.” Its persistent lava lake glows ominously, a rare and dramatic window into Earth’s molten interior. Reaching the summit requires a grueling trek across lava fields, often done at night to escape the heat. Erta Ale’s eruptions — most notably in 2005 and 2017 — are a direct result of the tectonic rifting beneath the Afar Triangle.
Joel Santos’s pioneering aerial imagery of Erta Ale, first captured in 2015, unveiled the volcano’s volatile character and the stark beauty of its surroundings from a perspective few had seen before.
Together, the salt miners, Dallol’s acid springs, and Erta Ale’s lava lake form a narrative of extremes — where tradition meets tectonics, and where Earth’s raw power is both a threat and a muse.
Joel Santos Documenting The Danakil Depression and Erta Ale, 2015
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