Lake Asal (Djibouti)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2007)

This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Lake Asal

Location	Afar Depression
Coordinates	11°39′N 42°25′ECoordinates: 11°39′N 42°25′E
Lake type	crater lake
Primary inflows	subsurface from the ocean
Primary outflows	evaporation only
Catchment area	900 km²
Basin countries	Djibouti
Max. length	10 km
Max. width	7 km
Surface area	54 km²
Average depth	7.4 m
Max. depth	> 20 m
Water volume	400 million m³
Surface elevation	-153 m (-502 ft) (below sea level)
Settlements	Randa (25 km northeast)

Lake Karum in the Ethiopian portion of the northern Afar Depression is also sometimes called Lake Assal.

Lake Asal (Lake Assal) is a crater lake in central Djibouti, located at the southern border of Tadjoura Region, touching Dikhil Region. It lies 153 m (502 ft)^{[citation needed]} below sea level in the Afar Depression and is the lowest point in Africa. It measures 10 by 7 km and has an area of 54 km². The mean depth is 7.4 meters, which makes for a water volume of 400 million m³. The catchment area measures 900 km². It is surrounded by a salt pan (extending west and mainly northwest). The salt is mined and transported by caravan to Ethiopia.

Lake Asal is the most saline body of water on earth with 34.8 percent salt concentration[1] (at a depth of 20 meters, as much as 39.8 percent has been measured). This is even more than that of the Dead Sea. The sources of the lake are subsurface springs, which are fed by the Gulf of Tadjoura (Golfe de Tadjoura), the eastern extension of the Gulf of Aden, specifically the nearly closed-off bay Ghoubet Kharab, about 10 km southeast of the lake.