What is the Atlas Mountains known for?
Atlas Mountains, series of mountain ranges in northwestern Africa, running generally southwest to northeast to form the geologic backbone of the countries of the Maghrib (the western region of the Arab world)—Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
How old are the Atlas Mountains?
about 80 million years ago
The Anti-Atlas Mountains of northern Africa and the nearby Atlas mountains were created by the prolonged collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, beginning about 80 million years ago.
How many Atlas Mountains are there?
The three mountain ranges that cross much of contemporary Morocco—the Middle in the north, the High Atlas in central Morocco, and the Anti-Atlas in the south along the Atlantic coast—form both a natural boundary and a rich natural environment.
What is an interesting fact about the Atlas Mountains?
The Atlas Mountains are not a continuous chain of mountains but a series of ranges separated by wide areas of land, which are called plateaus. The mountain range separates the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert. It has several passes that provide routes between the coast and the Sahara desert.
Is Atlas a block mountain?
Over millions of years this process built ranges like the Atlas Mountains, which stretch from Morocco to Algeria and Tunisia. The Atlas Mountains are relatively complex folded mountains featuring horizontal thrust faults and ancient crystalline cores.
What is unique about the Atlas Mountains?
What separates the Atlas mountain 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.
Do the Atlas Mountains have snow?
Snow in Morocco is not unusual. Two ski resorts in the Atlas Mountains—one near Marrakech and the other near Ifrane—experience fairly regular snowfall each January and February. Snow cover in the Atlas Mountains serves more than Morocco’s ski industry.
What is life like in Atlas Mountains?
The High Atlas mountains are home to several Berber villages where inhabitants do not have electricity, paved roads or access to doctors and make their living farming and making and selling olive oil and pottery.
How tall are the mountains in the Atlas Mountains?
The most impressive range within the Atlas system is the High Atlas, which extends for some 560 kilometers (350 miles) through the center of Morocco and has an average elevation of around 3,050 meters (10,000 feet). Many High Atlas peaks are snow-clad for much of the year.
How are the Atlas Mountains different from the Sahara Desert?
The Atlas Mountains are not a continuous chain of mountains but a series of ranges separated by wide areas of land, which are called plateaus. The mountain range separates the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert. It has several passes that provide routes between the coast and the Sahara desert.
Where are the Atlas Mountains located in Morocco?
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.
What are the problems with the Atlas Mountains?
One issue specifically affecting the Atlas Mountains is increased animal herding to keep up with demand for meat in surrounding cities. This has caused erosion and further degradation of soils. As a result, many of the endemic plants and animals of the Atlas region, such as the Argan Tree and the jackal, are now endangered.