This one, Erta Ale, is today the longest continually erupting volcano on the planet, a lake of lava that has been molten for over 100 years. These same volcanic forces also created Ethiopia's highlands. 70 million years ago this land was just as flat and as deep as the Danakil Depression. Molten lava rising from the earth's core forced up a huge dome of rock 500 miles wide - the roof of Africa. Over millennia, rain and ice carved the rock into a landscape of spires and canyons. These summits, nearly three miles up, are home to some very remarkable mountaineers - Gelada baboons. They are unique to the highlands of Ethiopia. The cliffs where they sleep are for expert climbers only, and Gelado certainly have the right equipment - the strongest fingers of any primate and an utterly fearless disposition.


这座火山名叫厄立特阿尔勒火山，它是迄今为止地球上连续爆发时间最长的火山——它实际上是一个熔岩湖，已经沸腾了100多年。埃塞俄比亚高原也是由这种火山的力量形成的。7000万年前，这里和达纳基勒洼地一样低平。熔化的火山岩浆从地核中涌出，形成了宽800多公里的岩石山，这就是今天的非洲屋脊。千百万年的雨水冰雪雕刻出了一座座锥形山和一条条峡谷。 这些近5000米高的山峰上有一些不同寻常的居民——狮尾狒，它们是埃塞俄比亚高原独有的动物。它们睡觉的悬崖只有攀岩高手才能到达，狮尾狒们自然有自己独有的才能，它们有灵长类动物中最强有力的手指以及无所畏惧的性格。