Astronaut observes Earth from ISS and sees “giant skull” in Sahara desert

2023-11-07 05:35:00

To commemorate the Halloween holiday, NASA surprised the public with the publication of a mysterious image that appeared to show an imposing ghostly “skull.” However, the reality behind this image is much more intriguing. Instead of a supernatural spirit, what we really see is an extraordinary geological formation in northern Chad.

This disturbing image was captured on February 12, 2023 by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) while orbiting about 400 kilometers above the Tibesti massif, a mountain range that extends through Chad and Libya in the heart of the Sahara desert. What appears to be a “skull” is, in reality, a curious coincidence of natural elements.

Astronaut observes Earth from ISS and sees giant skull in Sahara desert

As explained by NASA’s Earth Observatory, the “skull” is formed from shadows cast by the edge of a volcanic caldera, which is a type of crater caused by an explosive eruption or the collapse of the surface that covers a partially empty magma chamber. The “eyes” and “nose” are cinder cones, small conical hills that form around volcanic vents.

For its part, the white area surrounding the “mouth” of the “skull” is composed of a mineral crust formed by natron, a salt that is generated when thermal water accumulates on the surface and evaporates, leaving behind rich minerals. in steam rising from the surface of a geothermally active area.

Astronaut observes Earth from ISS and sees giant skull in Sahara desert

The alkaline lake of Trou au Natron

This particular area, known as Trou au Natron or Doon Orei, is believed to have originated after a massive volcanic eruption hundreds of thousands of years ago. Although it is now a desolate and barren landscape, scientists believe that it was once a thriving glacial lake, a very different environment from today.

This theory is based on the discovery of fossils of sea snails, plankton and algae at least 120,000 years old, found under a layer of baking soda in the 1960s and confirmed in a follow-up expedition in 2015.