Gaet'ale pond facts for kids
The Gaet'ale Pond is a very special and super salty pond located in the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, Africa. It's found near a place called Dallol crater. This pond is unique because it sits right on top of a hot spring, which means its water is heated from deep underground. What makes Gaet'ale Pond truly amazing is that it's the saltiest body of water known on Earth! Its water is 43% salt, which is way saltier than the ocean. It doesn't have any rivers flowing into it or out of it.
Where is Gaet'ale Pond?
Gaet'ale Pond is the biggest of several small ponds in the area. You can find it about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) southeast of the Dallol springs. Imagine a giant bean or a crescent moon – that's the shape of this pond! It's about 60 meters (200 feet) wide. This whole area, the Danakil Depression, is one of the hottest and lowest places on Earth, making it a truly extreme environment.
What is the water made of?
The water in Gaet'ale Pond is incredibly salty because of the types of salts dissolved in it. The main salts are calcium chloride (CaCl2) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2). These are different from the salt you put on your food, which is mostly sodium chloride. The pond also has tiny amounts of other charged particles called ions, like sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and nitrite (NO2−).
You might notice the water looks a bit yellow. This color comes from tiny traces of iron (Fe3+) that mix with chloride (Cl−) in the water.
Gases from the pond
If you visit Gaet'ale Pond, you might see bubbles rising from the water. These bubbles are made of a gas that doesn't have any smell. Scientists believe this gas is mostly CO2, which comes from the volcanic activity deep underground. It's thought that this gas might be harmful to small animals or even people if they breathe too much of it. This is because dead birds and insects have sometimes been found around the pond.
