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Figure 15. Photograph 17-32-012. View south along the length of the Afar Triangle. The Red Sea spreading center dies out under the sea at the left and steps over to continue south under the giant volcanoes on the right at the base of the escarpment bounding the Ethiopian Highland (averaging 11,000 feet whereas the dry valleys at the base of the volcanoes are below sea level). In the far distance is the Somali escarpment bounding the Afar Triangle on the south. The East African Rift Valley enters from the upper right (light-colored area).

Beyond the three giant volcanoes is a region of extensive faulting marking the spreading between the southern continuation of the Red Sea system and the northward-propagating Gulf of Aden spreading center. These features are seen in the next frames.