- For the current region of Chad, see Tibesti Region.
The
Tibesti Mountains are a mountain range in the central
Sahara, primarily located in the extreme north of
Chad, with a small extension into southern
Libya. The highest peak in the range,
Emi Koussi, lies to the south at a height of and is the highest point in both Chad and the Sahara.
Bikku Bitti, the highest peak in Libya, is located in the north of the range. The central third of the Tibesti is of volcanic origin and consists of five
shield volcanoes topped by large
craters: Emi Koussi, Tarso Toon,
Tarso Voon, Tarso Yega, and
Toussidé. Major
lava flows have formed vast plateaus that overlie
Paleozoic sandstone. The volcanic activity was the result of a continental
hotspot that arose during the
Oligocene and continued in some places until the
Holocene, creating
fumaroles,
hot springs,
mud pools, and deposits of
natron and
sulfur.
Erosion has shaped volcanic spires and carved an extensive network of canyons through which run rivers subject to highly irregular flows that are rapidly lost to the desert sands.
