Atlas Mountains

Coordinates: 31°03′35″N 7°54′54″W / 31.05963°N 7.91513°W / 31.05963; -7.91513
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Atlas mountains
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For the volcanic cone, see
Mount Atlas
.
Atlas Mountains
Mount Toubkal in Toubkal National Park within the High Atlas, Morocco
Highest point
PeakToubkal, Morocco
Elevation4,167 m (13,671 ft)[1]
ListingMountain ranges
Coordinates31°03′35″N 7°54′54″W / 31.05963°N 7.91513°W / 31.05963; -7.91513[1]
Dimensions
Length2,500 km (1,600 mi)
Width300 km (190 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
Geography
The location of the Atlas Mountains (red) across North Africa
CountriesMorocco, Algeria and Tunisia
RegionMaghreb
Geology
Age of rockPrecambrian

The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range, which stretches around 2,500 km (1,600 mi) through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The range's highest peak is Toubkal, which is in central Morocco, with an elevation of 4,167 metres (13,671 ft).[2] The Atlas mountains are primarily inhabited by Berber populations.[3]

The terms for 'mountain' are Adrar and adras in some

extinct. The weather is generally cool but summers are sunny, and the average temperature there is 25 °C.[4]

Geology

A map showing the location of the Atlas Mountains across North Africa

The

basement rock of most of Africa was formed during the Precambrian
supereon and is much older than the Atlas Mountains lying on the continent. The Atlas was formed during three subsequent phases of Earth's geology.

The first tectonic deformation phase involves only the Anti-Atlas, which was formed in the Paleozoic Era (~300 million years ago) as the result of continental collisions. North America, Europe and Africa were connected millions of years ago.

The tectonic boundary

The Anti-Atlas Mountains are believed to have originally been formed as part of the

Fall Line region in the Eastern United States. Some remnants can also be found in the later formed Appalachians
in North America.

A second phase took place during the Mesozoic Era (before ~66 My). It consisted of a widespread extension of the Earth's crust that rifted and separated the continents mentioned above. This extension was responsible for the formation of many thick intracontinental sedimentary basins including the present Atlas. Most of the rocks forming the surface of the present High Atlas were deposited under the ocean at that time.

In the Paleogene and Neogene Periods (~66 million to ~1.8 million years ago), the mountain chains that today constitute the Atlas were uplifted, as the land masses of Europe and Africa collided at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. Such convergent tectonic boundaries occur where two plates slide towards each other forming a subduction zone (if one plate moves underneath the other), and/or a continental collision (when the two plates contain continental crust). In the case of the Africa-Europe collision, it is clear that tectonic convergence is partially responsible for the formation of the High Atlas, as well as for the closure of the Strait of Gibraltar and the formation of the Alps and the Pyrenees.[5][6]

However, there is a lack of evidence for the nature of the subduction in the Atlas region, or for the thickening of the Earth's crust generally associated with continental collisions. One of the most striking features of the Atlas to geologists is the relative small amount of crustal thickening and tectonic shortening despite the important altitude of the mountain range. Recent studies suggest that deep processes rooted in the Earth's mantle may have contributed to the uplift of the High and Middle Atlas.[5][6]

View of the mountains

Natural resources

The Atlas are rich in

rock salt, phosphate, marble, anthracite coal and natural gas among other resources.[citation needed
]

Subranges

Satellite photograph of the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountains. North is at the bottom; the city of Goulmima can be seen at center left.

The range can be divided into four general regions:

Anti-Atlas

Main article: Anti-Atlas

The Anti-Atlas extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest of Morocco toward the northeast to the heights of Ouarzazate and further east to the city of Tafilalt (altogether a distance of approximately 500 kilometres or 300 miles). In the south it borders the Sahara. The easternmost point of the anti-Atlas is the Jbel Saghro range and its northern boundary is flanked by sections of the High Atlas range. It includes the Djebel Siroua, a massif of volcanic origin with the highest summit of the range at 3,304 m. The Jebel Bani is a much lower range running along the southern side of the Anti Atlas.[7]

High Atlas

High Atlas, Morocco
Main article: High Atlas

The High Atlas in central Morocco rises in the west at the

hydroelectric dam that has created the artificial lake Lalla Takerkoust
. The lake serves also as a source for fish for the local fishermen.

The largest villages and towns of the area are

Tin Mal and Ijoukak
.

hydroelectric dam
(far right)
A panoramic view of typical Berber village in the Moroccan part of the High Atlas

Middle Atlas

Main article: Middle Atlas

The Middle Atlas is completely in Morocco and is the northernmost of its three main Atlas ranges. The range lies north of the High Atlas, separated by the Moulouya and Oum Er-Rbia rivers, and south of the Rif mountains, separated by the Sebou River. To the west are the main coastal plains of Morocco with many of the major cities and, to the east, the high barren plateau that lies between the Saharan and Tell Atlas. The high point of the range is the jbel Bou Naceur (3340 m). The Middle Atlas experiences more rain than the ranges to the south, making it an important water catchment for the coastal plains and important for biodiversity. It is home to the majority of the world's population of Barbary macaque.

Snow on the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, January 2019

Saharan Atlas

Main article: Saharan Atlas

The Saharan Atlas of

Imazighen).[citation needed
]

Tell Atlas

Main article: Tell Atlas
Northern slopes of Djebel Akouker (2,184 m or 7,165 ft) in the Djurdjura range (Tell Atlas, Algeria)

The Tell Atlas is a mountain chain over 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) in length, belonging to the Atlas mountain ranges and stretching from Eastern Morocco to Tunisia, and through Algeria. It parallels the

Mediterranean coast and joins with the Saharan Atlas in Eastern Algeria and Tunisia. The highest summit of the Tell Atlas is the 2,308 m (7,572 ft) Lalla Khadidja in the Djurdjura range of Kabylia. The western end of the Tell Atlas merges with the Middle Atlas
range in Morocco.

The area immediately to the south of the Tell Atlas is the high plateau of the

Ain Draham
. An important amount of snow falls on the summits in winter.

Aures Mountains

Aurès

Main article: Aurès Mountains

The Aurès Mountains are the easternmost portion of the Atlas mountain range. It covers parts of Algeria and Tunisia. The Aurès natural region is named after the range.[9]

Flora and fauna

Alfred Edward Pease in 1893.[10]
Mixed forest (Atlas cedar, oaks, ash trees) in the Blidean Atlas ( a part of the Tell Atlas) , South of Algiers.

Flora in the mountains include the

Algerian oak
.

Animals that live in the area include the

Atlas mountain viper
.

Many animals used to inhabit the Atlas mountains such as the Atlas bear,[14] North African elephant, North African aurochs, bubal hartebeest and Atlas wild ass,[15] but these subspecies are all extinct. Barbary lions[10] are currently extinct in the wild, but descendants exist in captivity.[16][17][18]

See also

References and notes

  1. ^ a b "Topographic map of Toubkal". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  2. ^ "Atlas Mountains – Students | Homework Help". Britannica Kids. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  3. ^ "Atlas Mountains: Facts and Location". study.com. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  4. ^ "Atlas Mountains, Morocco - Live Weather Update".
  5. ^ a b UAB.es[permanent dead link] Potential field modelling of the Atlas lithosphere
  6. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2005.02.009
    .
  7. ^ "du Djebel Sarho aux dunes de Merzouga". vchery.free.fr. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  8. ^ L'INGÉNIEUR CAVAGNAC, un nom bien connu des Anciens de Marrakech, archived from the original on 2022-09-29, retrieved 2018-01-01{{citation}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "Algeria – Ethnic Groups and Languages".
  10. ^
    Pease, A. E. (1913). "The Distribution of Lions". The Book of the Lion. London: John Murray
    . pp. 109−147.
  11. ^ Gaussen, H. (1964). Genre Cedrus. Les Formes Actuelles. Trav. Lab. For. Toulouse T2 V1 11: 295–320
  12. ^ Van Lavieren, E. (2012). The Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus); A unique endangered primate species struggling to survive. Revista Eubacteria, (30): 1–4.
  13. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(82)90046-5
    .
  14. ^ Johnston, H. H. (1899). Bryden, H. A. (ed.). Great and small game of Africa. London: Rowland Ward Ltd. pp. 544–608.
  15. ISBN 9782831706474
    .
  16. ^ Yamaguchi, N.; Haddane, B. (2002). "The North African Barbary Lion and the Atlas Lion Project". International Zoo News. 49 (8): 465–481.
  17. S2CID 30407194. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  18. S2CID 44941372. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 2017-08-08.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Atlas Mountains.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atlas Mountains.
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