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Lake Turkana

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The Great Rift Valley is part of an intra-continental ridge system that runs through Kenya from north to south. It is part of the Gregory Rift , the eastern branch of the East African Rift , which starts in Tanzania to the south and continues northward into Ethiopia . It was formed on the "Kenyan Dome", a geographical upwelling created by the interactions of three major tectonics: the Arabian, Nubian, and Somalian plates. In the past, it was seen as part of a " Great Rift Valley " that runs from Madagascar to Syria . Most of the valley falls within the former Rift Valley Province .

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67-602: Lake Turkana ( / t ɜːr ˈ k ɑː n ə , - ˈ k æ n -/ ) is a saline lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley , in northern Kenya , with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia . It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake . By volume it is the world's fourth-largest salt lake after the Caspian Sea , Issyk-Kul , and Lake Van (passing the shrinking South Aral Sea ), and among all lakes it ranks 24th. Lake Turkana

134-490: A Hungarian and an Austrian , on 6 March 1888. They were the first Europeans to have recorded visiting the lake after a long safari across East Africa. The lake kept its European name during the colonial period of British East Africa . However, the existence of the lake and its shape and location were well known in Europe long before Teleki conceived of his visit. At some unknown time, the lake acquired an alternative name as

201-539: A nameplate capacity of 850 kilowatts. As of October 2016 155 turbines had been installed with completion expected in 2017. It will be the largest wind power project in Africa. Full commercial operation achieved in March 2019. 100% Capacity Factor (meaning full 310 MW generated) achieved in March 2021. The Gibe III dam is already under construction by Ethiopia along its Omo River, with general recognition that it will cause

268-435: A 1968 study by Alistair Graham. The lake also has a large population of large water turtles, particularly in the area of Central Island. The Turkana mud turtle is endemic to the lake. Over the dry grasslands ranges a frail population of grazing mammals and predators. The grazers are chiefly Grevy's zebra , Burchell's zebra , the beisa oryx , Grant's gazelle , the topi and the reticulated giraffe . They are hunted by

335-535: A dry riverbed, the Lomekwi 3 site recovered primitive hammers, anvils, and cutting tools.  However, the emergence of Acheulean technology no longer assumes that tool use was a distinguishing factor among Homo species as Australopithecus afarensis were also using simple tools prior to the appearance of the genus Homo , over 3.3 million years ago. Australopithecus anamensis fossils discovered by Meave Leakey in 1994 date to around 4 million years ago, setting

402-418: A further drop in the lake level.[29] Friends of Lake Turkana, a Kenyan organisation representing indigenous groups in northwestern Kenya whose livelihoods are linked to Lake Turkana, had previously estimated that the dam could reduce the level of Lake Turkana by up to 10 meter affecting up to 300,000 people.[30] This could cause the brackish water to increase in salinity to where it may no longer be drinkable by

469-517: A giant crack in the Earth, measuring 50 feet deep and 65 feet across, opened in the ground just west of Nairobi . However, it is believed to be due to rain and erosion, and not of tectonic origin. The valley is bordered by escarpments to the east and west. The floor is broken by volcanoes, some still active, and contains a series of lakes. Some of the soils are Andisols , fertile soils from relatively recent volcanic activity. Lake Turkana occupies

536-649: A high risk for a magnitude 7 or 8 earthquake in the Gibe III dam region. The magnitude of the impact that the dam and possible irrigation projects induced by the dam will have on the water level of Lake Turkana is controversial. A hydrological study conducted for the African Development Bank in November 2010 concluded that the filling of the dam will reduce the lake's water level by two metres, if no irrigation will be undertaken. Irrigation would cause

603-536: A major decrease in river flow downstream and a serious reduction of inflow to Kenya's Lake Turkana, which receives 90 per cent of its waters from the river. According to the ARWG [citation needed] report, these changes will destroy the survival means of at least 200,000 pastoralists, flood-dependent agriculturalists and fishers along the Omo River 300,000 pastoralists and fishers around the shores of Lake Turkana – plunging

670-562: A profound influence on the level of Lake Turkana and adjacent water bodies. The archaeoastronomical site Namoratunga which has been dated circa 300 BC is located near Lake Turkana. Hominin fossils of some of the earliest human ancestors have been found in the Turkana Basin. Lake Turkana is considered the cradle of human life because of the diverse hominid species found living millions of years apart, in this desert landscape.  These fossils have facilitated our understanding of

737-434: A source of diseases spread by contaminated water. Increasingly, communities on the lake's shores rely on underground springs for drinking water. The same characteristics that make it unsuitable for drinking limit its use in irrigation . The climate is hot and very dry. The rocks of the surrounding area are predominantly volcanic . Central Island is an active volcano, emitting vapour. Outcrops and rocky shores are found on

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804-587: A trader named Shah Mohamed arrived on the banks of the Turkwell River . The roads were inaccessible, so he brought donkeys. He eventually built a permanent trading centre in Lodwar, including a gas station. The district commissioner's office was built, followed by a small medical clinic and a government prison. Police headquarters were built in Lokitaung , as tribal disputes were common in the area. During

871-403: A transit point for British officials moving Kenyan political prisoners to the north. Jomo Kenyatta , Kenya's first president, was restricted to house arrest for two years in Lodwar, beginning in 1959. The town had developed a reputation as an isolated outpost removed from the rest of Kenya, but in recent years Lodwar has expanded and gained commercial and economic prominence. Lodwar is considered

938-549: Is a dormant stratovolcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha . Mount Suswa is a shield volcano located between Narok and Nairobi . Lava flows from the most recent eruptions are still not covered by vegetation, and may be no more than one hundred years old. Lake Magadi is the most southern rift valley lake in Kenya, although the northern end of Lake Natron in Tanzania reaches into Kenya. The Elgeyo escarpment forms part of

1005-402: Is a massive shield volcano in the floor of the rift with a caldera that formed about 8,000 years ago. It overlooks Lake Nakuru to the south. This region also includes Lake Elementaita , Mount Kipipiri and Lake Naivasha . The Hell's Gate National Park lies south of Lake Naivasha . In the early 1900s, Mount Longonot erupted, and ash can still be felt around Hell's Gate. Mount Longonot

1072-585: Is now threatened by the construction of the Gilgel Gibe III Dam in Ethiopia due to the damming of the Omo river which supplies most of the lake's water. Although the lake commonly has been—and to some degree still is—used for drinking water, its salinity (slightly brackish ) and very high levels of fluoride (much higher than in fluoridated water ) generally make it unsuitable, and it has also been

1139-406: Is sensitive to climatic and seasonal fluctuations. For purposes of comparison, the historic level of Lake Turkana declined from a high of 20m above today's level in the 1890s to the same level as today in the 1940s and 1950s. Then it increased again gradually by 7 metres to reach a peak around 1980, and subsequently decreased again.[31] The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) summary of

1206-548: Is the most important feeding area for lesser flamingos in the world. The system is home to globally important populations of black-necked grebe , African spoonbill , pied avocet , little grebe , yellow-billed stork , black-winged stilt , grey-headed gull and gull-billed tern . The Kenya lake system is a key location on the West Asian-East African Flyway , a route followed by huge numbers of birds in their annual migration from breeding grounds in

1273-563: The Cherangani Hills and a chain of volcanoes, some of which are still active. The climate is mild, with temperatures usually below 28 °C (82 °F). Most rain falls during the March–June and October–November periods. The Tugen Hills to the west of Lake Baringo contain fossils preserved in lava flows from the period 14 to 4 million years ago. The relics of many hominids, ancestors of humans, have been found here. In March 2018,

1340-696: The Jade Sea from its turquoise colour seen approaching from a distance. The colour comes from algae that rise to the surface in calm weather. This is likely also a European name. J. W. Gregory reported in The Geographical Journal of 1894 that it was called "Basso Narok", meaning "Black Lake" in the Samburu language . Likewise, the nearby Ethiopian Lake Chew Bahir is called "Basso Naibor" in Samburu, meaning "White Lake". The Samburu are among

1407-655: The Nguruman Escarpment is around 50 kilometers long and elongated in N-W direction. Its northern edge is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) southwest of Nairobi, while the southern edge is near the Tanzanian border, at the northwestern corner of Lake Natron . The Aberdare Range forms a section of the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley to the north of Nairobi. Mount Satima lies at the northern end of

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1474-676: The Turkana Basin . The highest is 100 m above the surface of the lake (only approximate, as the lake level fluctuates), which occurred about 9500 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene as part of the African humid period . It is generally theorised that Turkana was part of the upper Nile system at that time, connecting to Lake Baringo at the southern end and the White Nile in the north, and that volcanic land adjustments severed

1541-495: The little stint , the wood sandpiper , and the common sandpiper . The African skimmer ( Rhyncops flavirostris ) nests in the banks of Central Island. The white-breasted cormorant ( Phalacrocorax lucidus ) ranges over the lake, as do many other waterbirds. The greater flamingo wades in its shallows. Heuglin's bustard ( Neotis heuglinii ) is found in the east of the lake region. The lake formerly contained Africa's largest population of Nile crocodiles : 14,000, as estimated in

1608-573: The mantle , began separating from the rest of Africa, moving to the northeast. Currently, the graben is 320 km wide in the north of the lake, 170 km in the south. This rift is one of two, and is called the Great or Eastern Rift. There is another to the west, the Western Rift. Lake Turkana is a unique feature of the East African landscape. Besides being a permanent desert lake, it is

1675-486: The 1960s, missionaries built schools in and around the town. Shah Mohamed opened several stores in the remote towns of this Turkana county because he was the only contractor and supplier to government departments, carried mail to the area, and supplied and transported goods for the Norwegian and Italian fish-canning projects on Lake Turkana (both of which eventually failed). During the colonial period, Lodwar functioned as

1742-565: The Aberdares and is their highest point, and Mount Kinangop at the southern end is the second highest. The mountains form a ridge between these two peaks. Ngong Hills are peaks in a ridge along the east of the Great Rift Valley, located southwest near Nairobi. Kenya is home to 64 (9.50%) of the total lakes found within the continent of Africa. Eight of these make up the main lakes in the Kenyan Rift Valley. From north to south,

1809-603: The Turkana land. The area is primarily clay-based and is more alkaline than seawater. After the independence of Kenya , the president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta , renamed it in 1975 after the Turkana , the predominant tribe there. The Turkana refer to the lake as Anam Ka'alakol , meaning "the sea of many fish". It is from the name Ka'alakol that Kalokol , a town on the western shore of Lake Turkana, east of Lodwar , derives its name. The previous indigenous Turkana name for Lake Turkana

1876-605: The area around Lake Turkana, which is evidence for numerous migrations of diverse people over thousands of years. The current language groups include at least three separate subgroups of the Nilotic ( Nilo-Saharan ) and Cushitic ( Afro-Asiatic ) language families, which have further subdivided into more than 12 languages surrounding the lake today. In the early Holocene (during the Holocene Climatic Optimum ), lake levels were high and fishing and foraging were

1943-403: The beginning date of bipedalism back half a million years. Richard Leakey has led numerous anthropological expeditions in the area which have led to many important discoveries of hominin remains. The two-million-year-old skull 1470 was found in 1972. It was originally thought to be Homo habilis , but the scientific name Homo rudolfensis , derived from the old name of this lake (Rudolf)

2010-597: The capital of the region, housing local and governmental facilities, including Turkana's biggest health facility and the main referral hospital, Lodwar County Hospital (LDH). It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodwar . The town is also served by Lodwar Airport . Turkana Geothermal Power Station is under construction about 170 kilometers away from the town. Lodwar has a hot desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ) with very high temperatures and very little rainfall throughout

2077-519: The cichlids Haplochromis macconneli , H. rudolfianus , H. turkanae and Hemichromis exsul , the barb Enteromius turkanae , the catfish Chrysichthys turkana , the robber tetras Brycinus ferox and B. minutus , the Rudolf lates Lates longispinis , the lampeyes Lacustricola jeanneli and Micropanchax rudolfianus , and the cyprinid Neobola stellae . Non-endemics include species such as Nile tilapia , mango tilapia , bichirs ,

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2144-629: The connection. Such a hypothesis explains the Nile species in the lake, such as the crocodiles and the Nile perch. High water levels also occurred approximately 9000, 6000 and 5000 years ago, each of which were followed by drops in lake level of more than 40m in less than 200 years. It is thought that changes in the position of the Congo Air Boundary affected the ability of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean to reach eastern Africa, which had

2211-482: The dominant tribes in the lake Turkana region when the explorers came." What the native form of this phrase was, what it might mean, and in which language is not clear. The major biomes are the lake itself, which is an aquatic biome, and the surrounding region, which is classified as desert and xeric shrubland . The Chalbi Desert is east of the lake. During moister times, a dry grassland appears, featuring Aristida adcensionis and A. mutabilis . During drier times,

2278-435: The dynamic human evolution process and implies that they descended from more than one common ancestor, diverging into multiple lineages. The changing forest environment forced the early humans to adapt to a more open grassland that increased their exposure to threatening predators. Volcanic ash and drier climates were ideal for preserving these human fossils but it also caused the lake to shrink or disappear at times.  In

2345-520: The east and south shores of the lake, while dunes, spits and flats are on the west and north, at a lower elevation. On-shore and off-shore winds can be extremely strong, as the lake warms and cools more slowly than the land. Sudden, violent storms are frequent. Three rivers (the Omo , Turkwel and Kerio ) flow into the lake, but lacking outflow , its only water loss is by evaporation. Lake volume and dimensions are variable. For example, its level fell by 10 m (33 ft) between 1975 and 1993. Despite

2412-560: The eastern shore at the Nataruk Site, this region provides considerable insight to the way these early humans thrived and survived the inconsistent climate along the lake shore and beyond.  Homo erectus is the closest of Homo sapiens ' ancestors and contended to be the first hominin to cross the Levantine corridor out of Africa, into Europe and Asia 1.8 million years ago.   Many language groups are represented in

2479-535: The elephantfish Mormyrus kannume , African arowana , African knifefish , Distichodus niloticus , the Nile perch and numerous others. During the early Holocene , the water level of the lake was higher, and it overflowed into the Nile River, allowing fish and crocodiles access. Consequently, the non-endemic fishes in the lake are mainly riverine species of Nilotic origin. Some of the non-endemics do not breed in

2546-577: The firm that builds the dam this would reduce the water level in the lake by "less than 50 cm per year for three years" and that salinity "will not change in any way".[26] According to the International Lake Environment Committee, 90% of Lake Turkana's water is delivered by the Omo River on which the Dam would be built.[31] With no outlet, Lake Turkana loses 2.3 meters of water every year to evaporation, and its level

2613-694: The grass disappears. The shrublands contain dwarf shrubs, such as Duosperma eremophilum and Indigofera spinosa . Near the lake are doum palms . Both phytoplankton and zooplankton are found in the lake. Of the former, cyanobacteria are represented by Microcystis aeruginosa and microalgae by Botryococcus braunii . Also present are Anabaenopsis arnoldii , Planctonema lauterbornii , Oocystis gigas , Sphaerocystis schroeteri , and some others. The zooplankton includes copepods , cladocerans and protozoans . Compared to other large African lakes, Turkana has relatively few fish species. The lake holds about 50 fish species, including 12 endemics :

2680-441: The indigenous groups around the lake. Currently, the salinity of the water is about 2332 mg/L, and it is estimated that a 10-meter decrease in the water level of Lake Turkana could cause the salinity to rise to 3397 mg/L.[20] Raising salinity could also drastically reduce the number of fish in the lake, which the people around Lake Turkana depend on for sustenance and their livelihoods. According to critics, this "will condemn

2747-426: The lack of outflow, in ecology it is often regarded as a part of—or at least associated with—the Nile basin because of its prehistoric connection to this system and the similarities in their aquatic faunas . Due to temperature (its surface water typically is 27–31 °C [81–88 °F] and the mean air temperature of the region generally is similar or slightly higher), aridity and geographic inaccessibility,

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2814-416: The lake retains its wild character. Nile crocodiles are found in great abundance on the flats. The rocky shores are home to scorpions and carpet vipers . The lake is rich in fish and fishing is very important to the local economy, but this is threatened by falling water levels and overfishing . Lake Turkana National Parks are now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Sibiloi National Park lies on

2881-418: The lake to a not-so-slow death."[9] According to dam proponents, the impact on Lake Turkana will be limited to the temporary reduction in flows during the filling of the reservoir. Various sources state that the filling could take between one and three wet seasons.[9][26] The total storage volume of the reservoir of Gibe III dam will be between 11.75 and 14 billion cubic meter, depending on sources. According to

2948-458: The lake's eastern shore, while Central Island National Park and South Island National Park lie in the lake. Both are known for their Nile crocodiles. An abundance of hominid fossils have been discovered in the area surrounding Lake Turkana. The area still sees few visitors, being two days' drive from Nairobi . The lake is also an imaginary boundary of the Rendille and Borana and Oromo to

3015-474: The lake, but migrate up the Omo River and other affluents to breed. The lake is heavily fished. The Lake Turkana region is home to hundreds of species of birds native to Kenya . The East African Rift System also serves as a flyway for migrating birds, bringing in hundreds more. The birds are essentially supported by plankton masses in the lake, which also feed the fish. Some birds more common to Turkana are

3082-492: The lion and the cheetah . Elephants and the black rhinoceroses are no longer seen, although Teleki reported seeing (and shooting) many. Closer to the dust is the cushioned gerbil ( Gerbillus pulvinatus ). Lake Turkana is an East African Rift feature. A rift is a weak place in the Earth's crust due to the separation of two tectonic plates , often accompanied by a graben , or trough, in which lake water can collect. The rift began when East Africa, impelled by currents in

3149-451: The names of these lakes are Lake Turkana , Lake Logipi , Lake Baringo , Lake Bogoria , Lake Nakuru , Lake Elmenteita , Lake Naivasha , and Lake Magadi . Of those eight, only Lakes Baringo and Naivasha are fresh water. Lake Turkana, at the northern end of the rift, is 250 kilometres (160 mi) long, between 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) and 30 kilometres (19 mi) wide and is 125 metres (410 ft) at its greatest depth. Most of

3216-479: The north to wintering places in Africa. The lands around the lakes include large populations of black rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, greater kudu, lion, cheetah and wild dogs. The Kenya lake system is surrounded by the steep escarpment of the Rift Valley, which provides a spectacular backdrop. Other lakes are Lake Chew Bahir , in the northeast extension. This lake lies mainly in Ethiopia but extends into Kenya in

3283-568: The northern end of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. There are also volcanoes in Lake Turkana. The Suguta Valley , or Suguta Mud Flats, is an arid part of the Great Rift Valley directly south of Lake Turkana . The shield volcano Emuruangogolak straddles the valley to the south of Suguta, and further south Mount Silali and Paka rise from the valley floor. Paka is a shield volcano, with widespread geothermal activity. South of Paka are Mount Korosi , Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria . Menengai

3350-417: The only lake that retains the waters originating from two separate catchment areas of the Nile . The Lake Turkana drainage basin draws its waters mainly from Kenya Highlands and Ethiopian Highlands . The basement rocks of the region have been dated by two analytical determinations to 522 and 510 million years ago (mya). No rift was in the offing at that time. A rift is signalled by volcanic activity through

3417-403: The other lakes are shallow and poorly drained, and therefore have become alkaline. They have waters that are rich in blue-green algae, which feed insect larvae, small crustaceans and lesser flamingos . The larvae and crustaceans are food for fish and greater flamingos . Massive flocks of these birds have been found to have an effect on the lakeside sediments also. Their numbers cause trampling of

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3484-856: The outcrops forming the rocky mountains and badlands around the lake. In the Omo portion of the basin, of the Mursi Basalts, the Mursi Formation is on the west side of the Omo, the Nkalabong on the Omo, and the Usno and Shungura east of the Omo. Probably the best known of the formations are the Koobi Fora on the east side of Turkana and the Nachukui on the west. Short-term fluctuations in lake level combined with periodic volcanic ash spewings over

3551-475: The period when domesticated animals were first introduced to the region about 5000 years ago, while later, the dead were buried in small grave cairns. People who live in the region today commonly practice mixed subsistence, switching between hunting, fishing and animal herding based on what is feasible in a given year. However, the construction of infrastructure like Christian missionary stations, energy extraction (wind, oil) and NGO aid distribution points have made

3618-431: The primary subsistence economies. This was mostly supplanted by animal-based agriculture by 5000 years ago, when the lake level was in a period of rapid fluctuation. During the later Holocene , human responses to climatic changes included intensive fishing when lake level was high and a shift to cattle herding when the level dropped. Megalithic graves are found widely distributed on the lake shores and appear to correspond to

3685-432: The project did not assess the impact of the dam on the water level and water quality of Lake Turkana.[32] The director of Kenya's Water Services Regulatory Board, John Nyaoro, argued that the dam would have no negative impact on Lake Turkana.[33] A Kenya Government report in 2021 estimated that the surface area of Lake Turkana had increased by 10% between 2010 and 2020. Great Rift Valley, Kenya The valley contains

3752-556: The rainy season. Lake Kamnarok is another small lake. Lodwar Lodwar is the largest town in north-western Kenya, located west of Lake Turkana on the A1 road . Its main industries are basket weaving and tourism . The Loima Hills lie to its west. Lodwar is the capital of Turkana County . The town had a population of 82,970 in the 2019 census. According to the Insider’s guide to Kenya Lodwar's history began around 1933 when

3819-493: The region have resulted in a fortuitous layering of the ground cover over the basal rocks. These horizons can be dated more precisely by chemical analysis of the tuff . As this region is believed to have been an evolutionary nest of hominins , the dates are important for generating a diachronic array of fossils, both hominoid and nonhominoid—that is, both ape (includes hominins) and non-ape . Many thousands have been excavated. Terraces representing ancient shores are visible in

3886-413: The region more connected to and dependent on outside resources for subsistence. Traditional modes of subsistence like pastoralism and fishing are now supplemented by the cash-based economy. The Lake Turkana Wind Power consortium (LTWP) plans to provide 310 MW of power to Kenya's national electricity grid by tapping the unique wind conditions around the lake. The plan calls for 365 wind turbines , each with

3953-426: The region's ethnic groups into cross-border violent conflict reaching well into South Sudan, as starvation confronts all of them. The report offers a devastating look at a deeply flawed development process fuelled by the special interests of global finance and African governments. In the process, it identifies major overlooked or otherwise minimised risks, not the least of which is a U.S. Geological Survey estimation of

4020-459: The shore of an ancient and larger Lake Turkana, and where numerous human skeletons showing major traumatic injuries to the head, neck, ribs, knees and hands are argued to be evidence of inter-group conflict between nomadic hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago. With over 230 individuals found at the Koobi Fora site along the western shore, and scattered Homo sapiens skeletons with bone marks along

4087-629: The silts in certain areas, while the feeding grounds are oxygenated due to probing beaks in the mud. Their nest mounds can also be preserved and cemented as the lake's water levels change. These form irregularities in the lakeside topography. Trona , an evaporative mineral, used for sodium carbonate production, has been mined at Lake Magadi for nearly 100 years. It produces about 250,000 metric tonnes per year. Other precious minerals like rubies and pink sapphires have been found and mined from areas around Lake Baringo. In 2004, over 2 kilograms of Corundum were collected. Three shallow alkaline lakes and

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4154-422: The surrounding lands make up the Kenya lake system: Lake Bogoria at 10,700 hectares (26,000 acres), Lake Nakuru at 18,800 hectares (46,000 acres) and Lake Elmenteita at 2,534 hectares (6,260 acres). This system has one of the most diverse populations of birds in the world, and is the home of thirteen globally threatened species of bird. It is an important nesting and breeding site for great white pelicans , and

4221-712: The weakened crust. The oldest volcanic activity of the region occurred in the Nabwal Hills northeast of Turkana and is dated to 34.8 mya in the late Eocene . The visible tectonic features of the region result from extensive extrusions of basalt over the Turkana-Omo basin in the window 4.18–3.99 mya. These are called the Gombe Group Basalts. They are subdivided into the Mursi Basalts and the Gombi Basalts. The two latter basalts are identified as

4288-649: The western wall. The Kerio Valley lies between the Tugen Hills and the Elgeyo escarpment at an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) There are large deposits of Fluorite in the Kerio Valley area. Further south the Mau Escarpment is a steep natural cliff approximately 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, running along the western edge of the Great Rift Valley about Lake Naivasha . Yet further south

4355-631: The year. The average annual rainfall is about 210 mm (8.27 in). Lodwar has a very sunny climate year-round, with close to 3,600 hours of sunshine per year. Only about 35 percent of Lower citizens in Lodwar have access to electricity in their homes. The Lodwar Alluvial Aquifer comprises two unique systems east and west of the Lodwar municipality, on either side of the Turkwel River. Almost 1.3 billion cubic meters can be stored here with about 10% that can be utilized without causing unacceptable environmental, economic and social challenges. There

4422-456: Was Anam a Cheper . Natives who live around Lake Turkana include the Turkana , Rendille , Gabbra , Daasanach , Hamar Koke, Karo, Nyagatom, Mursi , Surma , and Molo peoples. For the location of many of these peoples, refer to the dialect map in the article. The lake was originally named Lake Rudolf (in honour of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria ) by Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék and his second-in-command Lieutenant Ludwig Ritter Von Höhnel ,

4489-470: Was proposed in 1986 by V. P. Alexeev. In 1984, the Turkana Boy , a nearly complete skeleton of a Homo ergaster juvenile, was discovered by Kamoya Kimeu . More recently, Meave Leakey discovered a 3.5 million-year-old skull there, designated Kenyanthropus platyops ("the flat-faced man of Kenya"). Marta Mirazón Lahr discovered early evidence of human warfare at the site of Nataruk , located near

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