Tadrart Rouge
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| Tadrart Rouge | |
|---|---|
| تادرارت الحمراء | |
 View of the Tadrart Rouge near Djanet | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,398 m (4,587 ft) |
| Coordinates | 23°40′17″N 10°53′26″E / 23.67139°N 10.89056°E[1] |
| Geography | |
  Tadrart Rouge SE Algeria | |
| Parent range | Tassili n'Ajjer |
The Tadrart Rouge (meaning "Red Mountain") or Southern Tadrart or Algerian Tadrart or Meridional Tadrart is a mountain range in southeastern Algeria, part of the Algerian Desert. The area has a rich array of rock art.
The Tadrart Rouge is a roughly 15–30 km large and 150 km long southern prolongation of the Libyan Tadrart Acacus into Algeria spanning to the frontier of Niger.[2] Primarily composed of sandstone, it links the Tassili n’Ajjer in the north-west to the Djado in the southeast. The range is broken by a series of west-east oriented fossil drainage networks resulting in deep gorges. In Djaren, discharging into the erg of Tin Merzuga, is the most important one.[3] The range reaches its maximum elevation of 1,340 m (4,400 ft) towards its southern end about 160 km southeast of Djanet.
Erosion has formed a large number of natural arches.[4] The area is well known for the spectacular red-orange sand dune fields contrasting with the jagged dark red rock formations of the range.[5][6]
- Landscape of the Tadrart Rouge
Eastern slopes with its characteristic sand dunes
Moul n'Aga
Natural windows in the rock formation of La Cathedrale
Palaeoclimate
The Tadrart Rouge is today harsh and dry with almost no precipitation. But during the African humid period the area had rainfall and was covered by savanna vegetation and thus was suitable for human and animal life.[7]
