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The sun rises over the great salt lake in the northern Danakil desert, at 130 m below sea level, Africa's lowest point. The purple and orange sky is reflected in patches of water covering hexagonal pieces of salt crust. The lake or salt plain consists of kilometer thick salt sediments that have accumulated over thousands of years in the lowest point of the Rift Valley. They are the result of intense evaporation when the area had been invaded by sea water from the Red Sea. The salt reaches about 4 km maximum thickness. In the background, silhouettes of workers are seen cutting salt blocks out of the crust of the lake. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)