Chott Melrhir

Chott Melrhir
View from space. Note that most of the lake is already dried up in this picture.
Chott Melrhir is located in Algeria
Chott Melrhir
Chott Melrhir
Coordinates34°20′N 6°20′E / 34.333°N 6.333°E / 34.333; 6.333
TypeEndorheic salt lake
Catchment area68,750 km2 (26,540 sq mi)[1][2]
Basin countriesAlgeria
Surface area6,700 km2 (2,600 sq mi)[3]
Official nameChott Melghir
Designated4 June 2003
Reference no.1296[4]

Chott Melrhir, (Arabic: شط ملغيغ) also known as Chott Melghir or Chott Melhir, is an endorheic chott-kind of salt lake in northeastern Algeria. It is the westernmost part of a series of depressions which extend from the Gulf of Gabès into the Sahara. It was formerly known as Lake Tritonis. They were created between Miocene and Early Pleistocene as a result of compression accompanying the formation of the Atlas Mountains.[5] With the maximum area of about 6,700 km2 (2,600 sq mi), it is the largest lake in Algeria.[3] It lies almost entirely below sea level and contains the lowest point in Algeria, −40 meters (−130 feet).[6] Its size varies over the year and is usually larger than 130 km (81 mi) from east to west.[7] The nearby cities are Biskra (60 km north-west), El Oued and Touggourt (85 km south).[8]

  1. ^ Benkhaled A.; Bouziane M.T.; Achour B. (June 2008). "Detecting trends in annual discharge and precipitation in the Chott Melghir basin in Southeastern Algeria" (PDF). Larhyss Journal. 7: 103–119. ISSN 1112-3680. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-14.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference gov was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b В. М. Котляков Мельгир (Chott Melrhir)[permanent dead link], Словарь современных географических названий (Dictionary of modern geographical names), 2003–2006
  4. ^ "Chott Melghir". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  5. ^ Andrew Goudie (2002) Great Warm Deserts of the World: Landscapes and Evolution, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-924515-0, p. 113
  6. ^ CIA World Factbook 2010 ISBN 1-60239-727-9, p. 10
  7. ^ Chott Melrhir, Encyclopædia Britannica on-line
  8. ^ Robert Mepham, R. H. Hughes, J. S. Hughes (1992) A Directory of African Wetlands, IUCN, ISBN 2-88032-949-3 pp. 23–24