Atlas Mountains

The Atlas Mountains run for about 2,500 kilometers across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia in North Africa’s Maghreb region. They form a natural barrier between the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The highest point in the range is Toubkal, located in central Morocco, which rises to 4,167 meters. These mountains are named after the Titan Atlas from Greek mythology. Most of the people living here are Berbers. In some Berber languages, the words for “mountain” are *Adrar* and *adras*, which linguists think are related to the name “Atlas.” The climate is generally cool, with sunny summers and an average temperature of 25 °C. The range hosts many plants and animals that are mostly African, though some also appear in Europe. Numerous species are endangered, and a few have already gone extinct. Geologically, the Atlas Mountains are much younger than the ancient Precambrian basement rock of Africa. They formed in three distinct phases. The first phase, about 300 million years ago during the Paleozoic, created only the Anti-Atlas range through continental collisions when North America, Europe, and Africa were connected. This chain was originally part of the Alleghenian orogeny, rivaling the Himalayas, and its remnants are visible in the Fall Line region of the eastern United States and the later Appalachians. The second phase occurred in the Mesozoic, before about 66 million years ago, when the Earth’s crust stretched and rifted the continents apart, forming thick sedimentary basins—including the present Atlas—where most of the High Atlas’s surface rocks were deposited under the ocean. The third phase, during the Paleogene and Neogene (roughly 66 million to 1.8 million years ago), saw the uplift of the Atlas ranges as Europe and Africa collided near the Iberian Peninsula. This convergent tectonic boundary also helped close the Strait of Gibraltar and build the Alps and Pyrenees. However, geologists note that the Atlas shows surprisingly little crustal thickening or shortening for its height, and recent research suggests deep mantle processes may have driven the uplift of the High and Middle Atlas. The mountains are rich in natural resources, including iron ore, lead, copper, silver, mercury, rock salt, phosphate, marble, anthracite coal, and natural gas. The range is divided into four subranges: the Anti-Atlas, High Atlas, and Middle Atlas in Morocco; the Tell Atlas running through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia; the Aurès Mountains in Algeria and Tunisia; and the Saharan Atlas in Algeria. The Anti-Atlas stretches about 500 kilometers from Morocco’s Atlantic coast northeast to Ouarzazate and Tafilalt, bordering the Sahara to the south. Its easternmost point is the Jbel Saghro range, and it is flanked by the High Atlas to the north. It includes the volcanic Djebel Siroua massif, whose highest summit reaches 3,304 meters, and the lower Jebel Bani range along its southern side. The High Atlas rises from the Atlantic coast in western Morocco and runs east to the Algerian border. It contains several peaks above 4,000 meters, including Toubkal (4,167 m) and Ighil m’Goun (4,071 m). To the southwest, the range drops sharply to the coast and the Anti-Atlas; to the north, it descends more gently toward Marrakesh. The Draa Valley cuts through the massif near Ouarzazate, opening southward. Berber people live in small villages here, farming the high plains of the Ourika Valley. A hydroelectric dam near Barrage Cavagnac created Lake Lalla Takerkoust, which provides fish for local fishermen. Major towns include Ouarzazate, Tahannaout, Amizmiz, Imlil, Tin Mal, and Ijoukak. The Middle Atlas lies entirely in Morocco, north of the High Atlas and separated from it by the Moulouya and Oum Er-Rbia rivers. To the north, the Sebou River divides it from the Rif mountains. To the west are Morocco’s main coastal plains and cities; to the east lies a barren plateau between the Saharan and Tell Atlas.