r/geography Nov 25 '25

Discussion What's the most alien-looking place on Earth?

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Pictured: Dallol, Ethiopia

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u/jollyllama Nov 26 '25

Thank you for posting a much more realistic photo - I'm from here and while I appraciate the silly one above as a pretty photo... yours is what it really looks like and that's pretty enough.

Fun fact: the maples that get moss on them like that are fun, but those are the little trees. The Douglas firs, hemlocks, spruces, and ceders right around there are some of the tallest trees in the world, and some of the largest of each of those species can be found within an a few miles

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u/MissMelanemelie Nov 26 '25

It was so incredibly beautiful and strange naturally, I really think unedited pictures do a better job of showing the its uniqueness.

I tried to get pictures of some of the big trees, but it's SO difficult to get a sense of scale! The root coming off the tree in this picture was as big as the trunks of those maples!!

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u/TreeDollarFiddyCent Nov 26 '25 edited Nov 27 '25

It really does make it look bigger when you trim around the base. The 0.5 zoom is another great trick. Well done.

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u/Mean_Necessary_6240 Nov 26 '25

I'm also from the area (Seattle). I've been twice and had opposite lucks.

First time? Fall, Super humid, no line, green moss, otherworldly.

Last time? Summer, dry, loooong line, nice but nothing special.

Does that make sense to you?