Imagine a colossal spine of rock stretching across North Africa, dividing a continent between the fertile Mediterranean and the endless sands of the Sahara.
Key Takeaways
- The Atlas Mountains stretch over 2,500 kilometers in length from Morocco's Atlantic coast to Tunisia's Cape Bon.
- The Anti-Atlas range features the highest peak Jbel Saghro at 2,500 meters elevation.
- The Tell Atlas runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea for approximately 1,000 kilometers.
- The range includes volcanic formations like the Jbel Bou-Naceur complex.
- The Atlas Mountains were formed by Alpine orogeny starting 80 million years ago.
- Primary rock types include Paleozoic schists and quartzites in the core.
- The Atlas Mountains receive annual precipitation of 400-1,200 mm in the High Atlas.
- Winter snowfall in Jbel Toubkal averages 5-10 meters depth annually.
- The Tell Atlas experiences Mediterranean climate with 600 mm yearly rain.
- The Atlas Mountains host 3,500 plant species, 800 endemic.
- Barbary macaque population in Middle Atlas numbers 5,000-6,000 individuals.
- High Atlas cedar forests cover 150,000 hectares.
- Algerian nuthatch population is 1,500 pairs in Maritime Atlas., category: Ecology
- Atlas population totals 12 million across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.
- Morocco's High Atlas Berbers number 3.5 million speakers of Tashelhit.
The Atlas Mountains form an expansive and diverse geographic barrier across North Africa.
Climate
- The Atlas Mountains receive annual precipitation of 400-1,200 mm in the High Atlas.
- Winter snowfall in Jbel Toubkal averages 5-10 meters depth annually.
- The Tell Atlas experiences Mediterranean climate with 600 mm yearly rain.
- Saharan Atlas summer temperatures exceed 45°C with less than 200 mm rain.
- Middle Atlas has temperate summers at 20°C average and cold winters at -5°C.
- Annual evapotranspiration in the Atlas basins reaches 1,000 mm.
- The High Atlas' orographic precipitation peaks at 1,500 mm on north slopes.
- Rif region records 800-1,000 mm rain concentrated October-March.
- Anti-Atlas arid zones get under 250 mm annual precipitation.
- Frost days number 100-150 per year above 2,000 meters elevation.
- The Atlas wind speeds average 5-10 m/s in exposed ridges.
- Spring droughts affect 30% of Atlas years, reducing water by 50%.
- High Atlas cloud cover averages 40% annually, higher in winter.
- Saharan Atlas diurnal temperature range is 20°C in summer.
- Middle Atlas relative humidity averages 60-70% year-round.
- The Tell Atlas has 50-70 rainy days per year.
- Extreme rainfall events in High Atlas exceed 200 mm/day once per decade.
- Winter low temperatures drop to -15°C in High Atlas valleys.
- Anti-Atlas coastal fog provides 100 mm equivalent moisture yearly.
- Atlas-wide temperature lapse rate is 6.5°C/km elevation.
- The Rif sees northerly winds 'Chergui' at 20 m/s gusts in summer.
- Annual sunshine hours in Saharan Atlas reach 3,500.
- High Atlas snowmelt contributes 70% to river discharge.
Climate Interpretation
The Atlas Mountains present a meteorological drama on a colossal scale, where Saharan furnace-like summers and alpine winters with meters of snow engage in a perpetual tug-of-war, all while desperately wringing every drop of moisture from the passing clouds to sustain life.
Ecology
- The Atlas Mountains host 3,500 plant species, 800 endemic.
- Barbary macaque population in Middle Atlas numbers 5,000-6,000 individuals.
- High Atlas cedar forests cover 150,000 hectares.
- The Atlas supports 80 mammal species including Barbary sheep.
- Endemic fir Abies numidica covers 10,000 ha in Tell Atlas.
- Over 200 bird species breed in Atlas wetlands.
- Atlas lion historically roamed with population over 10,000 pre-1900.
- Oak forests in Rif cover 100,000 ha with Quercus canariensis dominant.
- 42 reptile species endemic to Atlas regions.
- High Atlas argan trees number 21 million across 800,000 ha.
- Cuvier's gazelle reintroduced with 400 individuals in Saharan Atlas.
- Juniper woodlands in Middle Atlas span 50,000 ha.
- 120 butterfly species unique to Atlas Mountains.
- Barbary stag population estimated at 1,200 in Rif forests.
- Alpine meadows above 2,500m support 300 plant taxa.
- Fennec fox density is 0.5 per sq km in Saharan Atlas.
- Atlas mountain viper (Vipera monticola) inhabits 20 peaks.
- Holm oak Quercus ilex covers 200,000 ha in Tell Atlas.
- 15 amphibian species including endemic Discoglossus nigriventer.
- Wild boar population exceeds 20,000 in High Atlas.
- Orchid flora includes 100 species in karst zones.
- Rüppell's fox dens found in 40% of Atlas wadis.
Ecology Interpretation
The Atlas Mountains stand as a magnificent, if wounded, fortress of life, boasting soaring cedar cathedrals, throngs of unique species from tiny orchids to nimble macaques, and a resilient pulse that quietly beats against the stark echo of lost giants like its vanished lions.
Ecology, source url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_nuthatch
- Algerian nuthatch population is 1,500 pairs in Maritime Atlas., category: Ecology
Ecology, source url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_nuthatch Interpretation
The modest but resilient crew of 1,500 Algerian nuthatch pairs is holding a crucial meeting in the Maritime Atlas, and their attendance is mandatory for a healthy forest.
Geography
- The Atlas Mountains stretch over 2,500 kilometers in length from Morocco's Atlantic coast to Tunisia's Cape Bon.
- The Anti-Atlas range features the highest peak Jbel Saghro at 2,500 meters elevation.
- The Tell Atlas runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea for approximately 1,000 kilometers.
- The High Atlas divides into Western, Central, and Eastern sections spanning Morocco.
- The Saharan Atlas covers about 1,000 kilometers in Algeria's southern regions.
- Jbel Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, stands at 4,167 meters in the High Atlas.
- The Atlas Mountains cover a total area of approximately 800,000 square kilometers across three countries.
- The Middle Atlas in Morocco spans roughly 350 kilometers east-west.
- The Rif Mountains, part of the Atlas system, extend 200 kilometers along Morocco's northern coast.
- The Atlas Mountains form a barrier averaging 100-200 kilometers wide between coastal plains and Sahara.
- Mokhtar Pool in the Atlas hosts Lake Aguelmame Azigza at 2,200 meters altitude.
- The High Atlas contains over 100 peaks exceeding 3,000 meters in elevation.
- The Maritime Atlas in Algeria reaches up to 2,308 meters at Lalla Khedidja.
- The Atlas system includes numerous wadis draining into the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Sahara.
- The central High Atlas features deep gorges like the Todgha Gorge at 300 meters depth.
- The Atlas Mountains' western end begins at Morocco's Souss-Massa plain.
- The Eastern Atlas extends into Tunisia with peaks up to 1,500 meters.
- The range's average width varies from 50 kilometers in the High Atlas to 300 kilometers in the Saharan Atlas.
- Ighil M'Goun at 4,071 meters is the second highest peak in the Atlas Mountains.
- The Atlas contains several karst plateaus, including the Causse de Montaigu at 1,800 meters.
- The Tell Atlas' Babors chain rises to 2,304 meters at Tala Remda.
- The High Atlas' Tizi n'Test pass reaches 2,092 meters elevation.
- The Atlas Mountains span latitudes from 27°N to 37°N.
- The Saharan Atlas' Ksour Range includes Djebel Aïssa at 2,158 meters.
- The Middle Atlas' highest point is Mount Bou Nasser at 3,346 meters.
- The Atlas system's fluvial network includes the Oued Tensift with 204 km length.
- The Rif-Atlas junction features the 2,456-meter peak of Tissouka.
- The High Atlas hosts the longest ski run in Africa at Oukaïmeden, 4 km long.
- The Atlas Mountains' eastern extension reaches the Gulf of Gabes in Tunisia.
Geography Interpretation
This is a 2,500-kilometer spine of rock that grandly, and rather effectively, tells the Sahara, "You shall not pass," all while hosting Africa's highest ski run and a collection of peaks that clearly love a good competition for altitude.
Geology
- The range includes volcanic formations like the Jbel Bou-Naceur complex.
- The Atlas Mountains were formed by Alpine orogeny starting 80 million years ago.
- Primary rock types include Paleozoic schists and quartzites in the core.
- The High Atlas features Mesozoic limestone and dolomite layers up to 5 km thick.
- Triassic red beds and evaporites underlie much of the Atlas basins.
- The Anti-Atlas exposes Precambrian basement rocks over 600 million years old.
- Jurassic carbonates form prominent nappes thrust over Cretaceous flysch.
- The Tell Atlas contains Eocene flysch deposits up to 3 km thick.
- Saharan Atlas features Quaternary alluvial fans covering 10,000 sq km.
- Middle Atlas has extensive Jurassic limestone karst with caves up to 1 km deep.
- Neogene salt domes pierce the Atlas structures in eastern Algeria.
- The High Atlas rift basins accumulated 10 km of Triassic-Jurassic sediments.
- Paleogene phosphorites are mined in the Atlas with reserves over 100 million tons.
- Granite intrusions date to 300 million years in the Western Atlas.
- The Rif nappe complex involves obducted ophiolites from Tethys Ocean.
- Cenozoic compression folded the Atlas at rates of 1-2 mm/year.
- Cambro-Ordovician sandstones form the Anti-Atlas' rigid foreland.
- Oligocene conglomerates fill intramontane basins up to 2 km thick.
- The Atlas hosts mineral deposits of lead-zinc with 5 million tons reserves.
- Devonian limestones with fossils span 500 sq km in the High Atlas.
- Pleistocene glacial moraines cover 500 sq km in the High Atlas.
- The Tell Atlas' Miocene marls are 1,500 meters thick in depocenters.
- Volcanic necks of Quaternary age dot the Middle Atlas with 50 features.
- The Saharan Atlas' Paleozoic core is overlain by 1 km Cretaceous sands.
- Fault scarps from recent earthquakes displace strata by 5 meters vertically.
Geology Interpretation
"The Atlas Mountains are a spectacularly stacked and tortured library of Earth's history, where 600-million-year-old pages of Precambrian rock are crammed alongside 5-kilometer-thick chapters of limestone, all shoved into a sprawling, mineral-rich, earthquake-cracked shelf by a continental collision that's still, stubbornly, adding to the collection at a snail's pace."
Human Aspects
- Atlas population totals 12 million across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.
- Morocco's High Atlas Berbers number 3.5 million speakers of Tashelhit.
- Rural population density in Middle Atlas is 50 persons/sq km.
- Marrakesh Tensift region hosts 3.2 million residents.
- 70% of Atlas inhabitants rely on subsistence agriculture.
- Literacy rate in Rif mountains is 65% for adults.
- Toubkal National Park receives 100,000 tourists annually.
- Berber villages number 5,000 in High Atlas with adobe kasbahs.
- Migration rate from Atlas to cities is 2% yearly.
- Life expectancy in Saharan Atlas is 72 years.
- 40% of households in Anti-Atlas use LPG for cooking.
- Djurdjura National Park in Algeria has 20,000 Berber residents.
- Infant mortality in Atlas regions is 25 per 1,000 births.
- 85% of Atlas energy from biomass and wood.
- Road density in High Atlas is 0.2 km/sq km.
- Female labor participation in Rif is 30%.
- 1.2 million goats grazed in Middle Atlas annually.
- Electricity access reaches 95% in Tell Atlas urban areas.
- Traditional markets (souks) number 300 in Atlas valleys.
- Youth unemployment in Atlas youth is 35%.
- 60% speak Arabic as first language in Saharan Atlas.
- Healthcare facilities: 1 doctor per 5,000 in remote areas.
- Tourism contributes 10% to local GDP in Toubkal area.
Human Aspects Interpretation
The Atlas Mountains present a world of resilient and anchored tradition, where 3.2 million people cluster around Marrakesh while 70% subsist off the land, a delicate balance tipped by 2% annual migration, 35% youth unemployment, and tourists flocking to Toubkal as biomass fuels homes and only one doctor tends to every 5,000 in remote valleys.
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