The Mourdi Depression is a prominent desert depression of northeastern

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

. It lies adjacent to the

Ennedi Plateau The Ennedi Plateau is located in the northeast of Chad, in the regions of Ennedi-Ouest Region, Ennedi-Ouest and Ennedi-Est Region, Ennedi-Est. It is considered a part of the group of mountains known as the Ennedi Massif found in Chad, which is o ...

. The cleft lies "between the Erdi plateau and the eastern slopes of Ennedi, and the mouth of the Wadi Guroguro." The depression is characterized by a rocky valley, about wide from north to south, sloping from an altitude of about down towards the west to Djourab.

Geography

The Mourdi Depression lies along a trading route from

Abéché Abéché (, ''Absha'') is a city in Chad and the capital of the Ouaddaï Region. It is one of the List of cities in Chad, largest cities in the country and has within it the remnants of the ancient capital, including palaces, mosques, and the tom ...

to Kurfa; this route passes Tiné, then veers north to Bao, before passing through the Mourdi Depression and Erdi Ma. The Mourdi Depression is also along a fisherman's route for reaching the northeast of

Lake Chad Lake Chad (, Kanuri language, Kanuri: ''Sádǝ'', ) is an endorheic freshwater lake located at the junction of four countries: Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, in western and central Africa respectively, with a catchment area in excess of . ...

by traveling through the Erdi Plateau and Ennedi gap via the depression. The Wadi N'kaola in situated within the Mourdi Depression, and the nearest major town is Fada to the southwest. Small barchans are noted here.

Culture

The depression is cited as one of the most important Saharan grazing-grounds. There are numerous rock paintings in the area. The depression was explored by R. A. Bagnold, a pioneer in desert explorations in 1932. During this first motorized expedition in 1932, he found implements on the northern scarp, dated to the

Lower Palaeolithic The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 3.3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears ...

and

Middle Palaeolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle P ...

period in the valley. In the piste, next to the depression and in the northern rock formations of Ennedi, are rock arches; the Guela d'Archei and its colony of dwarf crocodiles are of particular note.

Addax The addax (''Addax nasomaculatus''), also known as the white antelope and the screwhorn antelope, is an antelope native to the Sahara Desert. The only member of the genus ''Addax'', it was first described scientifically by Henri de Blainvil ...

, a

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

species, is found in small numbers in this depression.

References

;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * {{coord, 18, 2, 24, N, 21, 4, 47, E, type:landmark, display=title Geography of Chad Depressions (geology)