What an impressive landform, described in a Telegraph photogallery as "an aerial view of Nabiyotum Crater in Lake Turkana - the world's largest desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake - in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.
Lake Turkana: "It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. By volume it is the world's fourth-largest salt lake[citation needed] after the Caspian Sea, Issyk-Kul, and Lake Van (passing the shrinking South Aral Sea... Nile crocodiles are found in great abundance on the flats. The rocky shores are home to scorpions and carpet vipers..."
This is located in the Rift Valley area of Africa, the acknowledged "cradle of mankind." I wonder if modern people have explored inside the crater, which does have a land bridge to the mainland.
Photo credit: Martin Harvey.
I used Google Maps to zoom down into the crater. I started by going to Nairobi, Kenya, then north to Lake Turkana. The crater is at the southern tip of the lake. At max zoom, you see a few trees and an internal mini-lake. There also appears to be a path worn across the rim and down into the crater, at about 7:30 on the clock. There also make be a shed or shelter of some kind under a central group of trees (see the little white spot).
ReplyDeleteLurker111
" I started by going to Nairobi, Kenya, then north to Lake Turkana..."
DeleteAn even faster way is to type "Turkana" into the search box. I agree with you re the trail - presumably man-made unless there is some type of desert mammal that seeks water there. Re the white pixel I have no idea.
I noticed that white pixel, too, but later I took a look at a Panoramio photo showing the inside of the crater, and there was nothing resembling a shelter.
Deletehttp://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=3&with_photo_id=61272441&order=date_desc&user=6426253
Interesting, because with that (excellent) view, what I initially took to be a "path" leading down into the bottom now looks to be an outflow path for water from a cup-shaped catchment area on the far side of the crater.
DeleteWish I could visit there, even as bleak as it looks.
That's so cool, it's rare to see such a perfect crater
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