The actual mining initially took place at the carnallite / sylvite deposit by the Black Mountain and involved, amongst other techniques, flooding of salt pans around a continuously flowing hot spring and harvesting of potash-rich salts therefrom after deliquescence removed most of the MgCl2 (Holwerda and Hutchinson, 1958). It is questionable if mining was restricted to the Black Mountain area. Apparently, local Afars tell of a deep mine that was present on Dallol Mountain in the vicinity of the mining village (L.C., personal communication). No entrance to a deep mine is visible today. However, what appear to be the axles of mining cars which may have been from a narrow-gauge railway (probably however not from the Kolulli-Mersa Fatma line) are found in Dallol village. On the other hand, the idea of deep-mining in an active geothermal area seems problematic. The mine(s) appear to have been operational until 1929 when operations ceased due to increasing tensions between Italy and Ethiopia and due to easier availability of potash from the US, USSR and Germany. About 70000 tonnes of potash were recovered during the period up to 1929. Between 1925 and 1929, 25000 tonnes were extracted (Mohr, Geology 1961, p.239-240). It is presently unclear what happened at Dallol in 1930s and particularly following its brief reopening in 1939. It appears that the mine was not totally abandoned after 1939 since there was a nearby military camp and Italian troops from the camp are reported to have sabotaged the mine before British soldiers arrived in 1941. Further, the US Bureau of Mines Annual Report of 1940 included reference to mining of salts at Dallol in 1940. Plans to extend a railway all the way to Dallol had apparently been made (this may have indeed occurred in 1939), especially after Italy conquered Ethiopia in 1936 and formed Africa Orientale Italiana, which encompassed both Ethiopia and Eritrea). Although the mining infrastructure was sabotaged (this possibly accounting for the lack of a visible mine entrance today), the remains of many of the buildings still remain. This includes remnants of workers dwellings, the walls of which were constructed using blocks of salt.

• published: 12 Nov 2014
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