Abstract Large evaporite deposits, reaching several hundreds of metres of thickness, occur in many basins of our planet but remain poorly understood due to the absence of modern analogues. The origin of ancient evaporites and their highly variable sedimentation rates are often debated and ambiguous. The Danakil rift basin in northern Afar (Ethiopia) features several hundreds of metres of evaporites with deposition still continuing today and, as such, represents a unique modern analogue for older thick evaporite deposits. This study focuses on the multi‐proxy analysis of a 625 m long core from the central part of the basin. The core record, dominated by halite ( ca 60%) with subordinate clastic sediments ( ca 35%) and potash minerals ( ca 5%) reveals, for the first time, the Late Pleistocene to Recent geological and environmental history of the basin. Sediments experienced restricted marine conditions after the last Late Pleistocene marine incursion in the basin, followed by a hypersaline stage leading to the near‐desiccation of the basin with the deposition of thick halite and potash deposits. Subsequent recycling of marginal halite deposits by meteoric waters in lacustrine and salt pan environments significantly increased the evaporite thickness in the subsiding central part of the basin. These findings have implications for the understanding of older thick evaporite deposits that formed in similar depositional settings. They show that several hundred of metres of evaporite can form in less than 128 kyr by evaporation of meteoric and seawater following a single marine flooding of the basin.

Valentin Rime

Haileyesus Negga

Robin Fentimen

Andres Rüggeberg

Afifé El Korh

Claudius Pirkenseer

Jean‐Charles Schaegis

Irka Hajdas

Thierry Adatte

Balemwal Atnafu

Tesfaye Kidane

Anneleen Foubert

Sedimentology

作为该领域的国际领导者，SEDIMENTOLOGY 发表了跨越沉积学、沉积地质学和沉积地球化学的开创性研究。涵盖的领域包括：实验和理论谷物运输；沉积物通量；现代和古代沉积环境；层序地层沉积物-生物相互作用；古土壤；成岩作用；稳定同位素地球化学；环境沉积学

As a leading international journal in the field of sedimentology, Sedimentology publishes pioneering research that spans sedimentology, sedimentary geology, and sedimentary geochemistry. The covered areas include experimental and theoretical grain transport, sediment flux, modern and ancient sedimentary environments, sediment-biota interactions in sequence stratigraphy, paleosols, diagenesis, stable isotope geochemistry, and environmental sedimentology.

作为沉积学领域的国际领导者，Sedimentology 发表了跨越沉积学、沉积地质学和沉积地球化学的开创性研究。涵盖的领域包括实验和理论的颗粒运输、沉积物通量、现代和古代沉积环境、层序地层中的沉积物与生物相互作用、古土壤、成岩作用、稳定同位素地球化学以及环境沉积学。

Category	Quartile
地球科学	2
地球科学, 地质学	1

Nature and significance of Late Pleistocene to Holocene thick evaporite deposits of the Danakil Depression, Afar, Ethiopia

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