NASA captures image; a 'giant skull' on Earth as seen from space

While orbiting approximately 400 kilometers above the Sahara Desert, astronauts noticed a "giant skull" looking back at them.

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NASA captures image; a 'giant skull' on Earth as seen from space

On the other hand, it turned out that this skull is actually an oddly shaped volcanic crater.

The image of the crater was released by NASA on October 31, Halloween, under the name 'Ghost Face in the Rock'.

The image, reported by Independent Türkçe, was actually taken with an ordinary digital camera on February 12, 2023. This volcanic crater, called Trou au Natron and located in northern Chad, has a diameter ranging between 6 and 8 kilometers.

FORMED BY GROUND COLLAPSE FOLLOWING A VOLCANIC ERUPTION

The crater hosts a volcanic caldera approximately 1,000 meters deep. A landform created by the collapse of the ground following a volcanic eruption is called a caldera.

In this section, white salt known as natron has accumulated. Natron is a mixture of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate.

The black areas that form the eyes and nose of the "skull" are actually cinder cones that formed around volcanic vents.

Trou au Natron is located among the Tibesti Mountains at an altitude of 2,450 meters.

Considered one of the most remote and isolated regions on the planet, these mountains are the highest area in the Sahara.

Despite its harsh environment, the Tibesti Mountains provide a home to many animals, including jackals, foxes, gazelles, African wildcats, and various bird species.

This place was also the ancestral homeland of the semi-nomadic Toubou people.

Although it is unknown when Trou au Natron last erupted, the volcano is currently extinct.

It is known that this place was a deep glacial lake approximately 14 thousand years ago.

News Source: 12punto