Mourdi Depression

Location in Chad

The Mourdi Depression is a prominent desert depression of northeastern Chad. It lies adjacent to the Ennedi Plateau.^[1] The cleft lies "between the Erdi plateau and the eastern slopes of Ennedi, and the mouth of the Wadi Guroguro."^[2] The depression is characterized by a rocky valley, about 30 miles (48 km) wide from north to south, sloping from an altitude of about 1,800 feet (550 m) down towards the west to Djourab.^[3]

Geography

The Mourdi Depression lies along a trading route from Abéché to Kurfa; this route passes Tiné, then veers north to Bao, before passing through the Mourdi Depression and Erdi Ma.^[4] The Mourdi Depression is also along a fisherman's route for reaching the northeast of Lake Chad by traveling through the Erdi Plateau and Ennedi gap via the depression.^[5] The Wadi N'kaola in situated within the Mourdi Depression,^[6] and the nearest major town is Fada to the southwest. Small barchans are noted here.^[7]

Culture

The depression is cited as one of the most important Saharan grazing-grounds.^[8] There are numerous rock paintings in the area.^[8] 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 and Middle Palaeolithic period in the valley.^[7][9] 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.^[10] Addax, a critically endangered species, is found in small numbers in this depression.^[11]

References

1. Shao 2008, p. 33.
2. Kelly 2009, p. 64.
3. Bartlett 1942, p. 14.
4. Bollig, Schnegg & Wotzka 2013, p. 426.
5. Lévêque 1997, p. 103.
6. Heseltine 1960, p. 142.
7. The Geographical journal. 1933. pp. 112,220.
8. The South African Archaeological Bulletin. South African Archaeological Society. 1959. p. 25.
9. Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR & Zentralinstitut für Alte Geschichte und Archäologie 1977, p. 26.
10. Pritchard-Jones & Gibbons 2009, p. 29.
11. East 1999, p. 237.

Bibliography

• Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR; Zentralinstitut für Alte Geschichte und Archäologie (1977). The Archaeological Map of the Sudan. Akademie-Verlag.
• Bartlett, Humphrey Edward Gibson (1942). French Equatorial Africa & Cameroons. Naval Intelligence Division.
• Bollig, Michael; Schnegg, Michael; Wotzka, Hans-Peter (15 July 2013). Pastoralism In Africa: Past, Present and Future. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-0-85745-909-1.
• East, Rod (1999). African Antelope Database 1998. IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-0477-7.
• Heseltine, Nigel (1960). From Libyan sands to Chad. Museum Press.
• Kelly, Saul (2009). The Lost Oasis: The True Story Behind ""The English Patient"". Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-7867-4724-5.
• Lévêque, C. (13 May 1997). Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation: The Freshwater Fish of Tropical Africa. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-57033-6.
• Pritchard-Jones, Siân; Gibbons, Bob (2009). Africa Overland: 4x4, Motorbike, Bicycle, Truck. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-283-5.
• Shao, Yaping (13 October 2008). Physics and Modelling of Wind Erosion. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4020-8895-7.

Coordinates: 18°2′24″N 21°4′47″E / 18.04000°N 21.07972°E