Chott el Djerid
Largest salt lake area of the Sahara
The Chott el Jerid (Arabic شط الجريد, DMG tired of al - Ǧarīd, also Schott el Jerid ) is a sedimentary basin within a depression with salt lake in southern Tunisia. The lake itself is usually referred to as Chott el Jerid alone. In ancient times, the area was Tritonis ( Tritonis Lacus Palus or Tritonis ) after the river Triton, the lake or marsh fed, and later salinarum Lacus ( " salt lake " ) called. However, the geographical allocation is not sure.
Along with its sequels Chott el Fedjadj ( lying east ) and Chott el Gharsa ( lying west ), the depression an area of 7700 km ² and an east-west extent of about 200 km from the Algerian border almost to the Mediterranean. The greatest width of the region is about 70 kilometers. This is the largest salt lake area of the Sahara.
The Chott el Jerid is an endorheic sink that got its present shape in the late Tertiary. In the contact zone between the rigid Sahara plateau and the North African Atlas space created by tectonic processes flexures, anticlines, faults and slight undulations. Erosion and more terrain elevations produced in southern Tunisia, a layer comb landscape that surrounds the Chott el Jerid. Its southern border is formed by the crescent-shaped curved Djebel Tebaga.
The surfaces of the Chott el Jerid are about 15 m above sea level and that of the eastern Chott el Fedjadj rise up to 25 m at. The western Chott el Gharsa is already below sea level. The after Algeria extending into depression deepens westward and descends in the local Chott Melghir to -26 m from.
The salt lake is fed by run-off from the northern mountains, the lead salts flushed out with it. Due to the extreme climatic conditions ( annual precipitation 100 mm, maximum temperatures to 50 ° C), the water evaporates and the salts crystallize to a dry crust, beneath which deeper silt is. In summer Chott dries out almost completely and becomes a Salt Flat. It is largely to feinlaminare gypsum layers with Tonmineraleinlagerungen.
After rain in winter and spring, large parts of the Chotts be flooded or muddy. Especially in summer occur ( mirages ) in the sun is high mirages.
The name was the salt lake from the northern oasis region of Djerid (Arabic: بلاد الجريد "land of date palms "). The main towns in this region are the oasis towns and former caravan stations Tozeur and Nefta. South of Chott el Jerid full desert begins with the eastern foothills of the Eastern Great Erg. Southeast of Salt Lake is a haven area Nefzaoua with the main towns and Kebili Douz. During the French colonial period, a mound -like runway was filled in, connecting the Tozeur Kebili. This had become temporarily impassable, but in 1979 a year-round passable paved causeway was created. In addition to the street you can still see the originally set in the salt crust palm fronds at which oriented centuries hikers, camel drivers and since the 20th century and the motorists.
End of the 19th century there were plans to connect the Chott el Jerid by a channel to the sea and thus produce a huge lake. The plan failed, however, because it turned out that the surface of the Chott is slightly above sea level.
Before the construction of the causeway crossing the Chott el Jerid due to the treacherous salt crust was often dangerous, even if it is strong enough in some places to allow drive trucks on it.
From the 14th century here, the mysterious disappearance of a caravan of 1,000 camels and their drivers is preserved.
Reception in literature and film
Karl May describes in the first volume of his adventure novel " Through Desert and Harem" (later through the desert ) of the Orient cycle "In the Shadow of the Padishah " very vividly the dangers of crossing the Chott el Jerid.
The Chott el Jerid been used as a filming location for both Star Wars trilogies ( Episode 1-6).