Lake Abbe, on the border of Djibouti and Ethiopia, is the last in a line of alkaline lakes in which the Awash River dissipates. The jagged pinnacles and spires close to the lake were formed thousands of years ago when volcanic gases bubbled up through the bottom of an ancient lake that was 100 feet deeper than it is today. Minerals from these gases encrusted the soil they passed through, leaving behind these extraordinary creations when the waters receded.Livestock belonging to the nomadic Afar people graze this harsh, windswept region.