Astronaut picture, caught from the International Space Station on February 12, 2023, includes the deep volcanic pit and soda lake Trou au Natron in northern Chad.
The white location around the “mouth” is a mineral crust made from a salt called natron– a mix of salt carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, and salt sulfate. It forms as hot spring water swimming pools on the surface area and vaporizes, and mineral-rich steam increases from the surface area of the geothermally active location.
Trou au Natron lies simply southeast of Tarso Toussidé, a broad volcanic feature with fumaroles and an active stratovolcano. Among a number of volcanic peaks in the Tibesti Mountains, it is the source of numerous fairly current– though improperly documented and studied– eruptions.
The remoteness of Trou au Natron makes it difficult for scientists to gain access to. However, analysis of rock and fossil samples gathered in the 1960s indicate that Trou au Natron was filled by a glacial lake hundreds of meters deep about 14,000 years earlier. An exploration led by German scientist Stefan Kröpelin reached Trou au Natron in 2015 and gathered samples of fossilized marine algae believed to have actually formed some 120,000 years back.
Satellite observations of the region have actually assisted fill in some information. One pair of University of Cambridge scientists have pieced together a rough series of the regions volcanic activity based on observations from the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) sensor on NASAs Terra satellite. They divided the activity into 6 stages, with the formation of Trou au Natron as one of the most recent events of geologic significance.
The image was provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take photos of Earth that will be of the biggest worth to researchers and the public, and to make those images easily available on the Internet.
Trou au Natron in Chad looks like a ghostly face from area, formed by distinct volcanic functions. Satellite observations and research study explorations have unveiled its rich geological history.
Past volcanic eruptions and salt deposits from contemporary hot springs left this unique “face” in northern Chad.
From above, the 1,000-meter (3,300-foot) deep volcanic pit and soda lake Trou au Natron in northern Chad has the look of a ghostly face staring back at you. An astronaut on the International Space Station caught this photo of the distinguishing characteristic on February 12, 2023.
The edge of the “face” is partially formed by shadows cast by the rim of a caldera– a type of volcanic crater formed after an explosive eruption or the collapse of the surface area into a partially-emptied magma chamber. The “eyes” and “nose” are cinder cones– steep cone-shaped hills constructed around volcanic vents. The cinder cones are thought to be reasonably young in geological terms, most likely forming within the past few million years and possibly as just recently as the past few thousand years.
The remoteness of Trou au Natron makes it challenging for scientists to access. Analysis of rock and fossil samples gathered in the 1960s show that Trou au Natron was filled by a glacial lake hundreds of meters deep about 14,000 years earlier. An exploration led by German scientist Stefan Kröpelin reached Trou au Natron in 2015 and gathered samples of fossilized marine algae thought to have actually formed some 120,000 years back.
They divided the activity into six stages, with the formation of Trou au Natron as one of the most current events of geologic significance.