NASA recently released a creepy image of a skull that looks like a glower from the heart of a massive volcanic pit located in Chad. The American Space Agency revealed that an unnamed astronaut took the creepy image aboard the International Space Station as the orbiting laboratory traveled above the Tibesti Massif.
Tibesti Massif is a mountain range that extends across the center of the Sahara Desert through Chad and Libya. NASA’s Earth Observatory released the image on October 31 to celebrate the spooky season.
What You Should Know About the Image of a Glowering Skull Hidden In A Giant Volcanic Pit In The Sahara
The Skull-shaped volcanic pit exists on the terrains of Trou au Natron (Doon Orei), which is a 3,300-foot-wide (1,000 meters) volcanic caldera, or crater, left behind by an enormous volcanic eruption hundreds of thousands of years ago. Geologists discovered its geological indentation in the south of Tarso Toussidé, a larger volcanic feature that houses an active stratovolcano.
Scientists discovered that the white color of the skull’s nose, mouth, and left cheek came into existence by natron. Note that natron is a naturally occurring salting combination of sodium carbonate decahydrate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate. Researchers reveal that the eyes and nose hole regions are cinder cones.
Cinder cones are steep conical hills that form around volcanic vents that tower above other caldera floors. The darker region on the left of the face is the shadow cast by the giant rim of the crater. This tall rim significantly gives the skull its fascinating shape.
How Old Is The Giant Volcanic Pit
Trou au Natron remains lifeless and barren lately. However, scientists still believe that it was once an active glacial late until about 14,000 years ago. In addition, researchers found fossils of sea snails and plankton underneath the pit’s natron-covered floor in the 1960s, NASA’s Earth Observatory revealed.
A follow-up study in 2015 enabled scientists to discover algal fossils that could be traced back 120,000 years. Earth Observatory also reveals that Trou au Natron, despite being as ancient as the fossils found within the dried-up lake, is still one of the youngest volcanic features to exist in the Tibesti Massif.
Researchers also discovered that the surrounding volcanoes are older than Trou au Natron. NASA revealed that this image is not the first skull-like image from space. A weather satellite image of Hurricane Matthew captured the swirling vortex appearing like a sinister shadowy face with a bright red eye and distinct teeth in Haiti.
However, the recent image of a glowering skull hidden in a giant volcanic pit revealed by NASA still possesses stand-out features.
Conclusion
NASA released an image of a skull that resembles a glower from the heart of a volcanic pit in Chad. In addition, NASA revealed that this image is not the first skull-like image from space.
A weather satellite image of Hurricane Matthew captured the swirling vortex appearing like a sinister shadowy face. It has a bright red eye and distinct teeth in Haiti. Hence, what do you think about this creepy image?
