Issaouane Erg

{{Infobox valley | name = Issaouane Erg | other_name = Issaouane-N-Irarraren | native_name = | translation = | photo = Saharan topographic elements map.png | photo_caption = Saharan topographic elements map, Issaouane Erg to the right of center  | map = Algeria | map_image = | map_caption = Location in Algeria | mapframe =  | location = | country = Algeria | region = | state = Wilaya Illizi | district = | city = | relief = | label = | label_position = | coordinates = {{coord|27|34|23|N|7|40|55|E}} | coordinates_ref =  | elevation = | elevation_m = 370-570 | elevation_ft = | elevation_ref = | length = | length_mi = | length_km = 240 | length_orientation = (N - S) | length_note = | width = | width_mi = | width_km = 250 | width_orientation = (W - E) | width_note = | area = | area_mi2 = | area_km2 = 26000 | depth = | depth_ft = | depth_m = | type = Dunes | age = Pleistocene | border = Tassili n'Ajjer | topo = | traversed = | river =  | footnotes = | embed = }}

thumb|Map of Issaouane Erg and surroundings in Southeast Algeria

The '''Issaouane Erg''' (also called '''Issaouane-N-Irarraren'''<ref>{{cite book|last=Dubief|first=Jean|title=L'Ajjer, Sahara central|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cHRHH7_minUC&pg=PA256|year=1999|publisher=Karthala|isbn=9782865378968|page=220}}</ref>) is an erg (sand sea) in Algeria's portion of the Sahara desert, covering an area of approximately {{conv|26,000|km²|abbr=on}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Issaouane Erg |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/10588758#map=8/27.527/7.718 |website=OpenStreetMap}}</ref>.

== Formation and development == Towards the end of the Pliocene epoch, 2.5 million years ago, when the Sahara had a humid tropical climate, the waters of the Tassili n'Ajjer carried large amounts of rock material into the Illizi basin<ref>Paul Perron, [https://theses.hal.science/tel-02284343v1/file/78888_PERRON_2019_archivage.pdf "Architecture and tectonic of Paleozoic intracratonic Basins : impact on the sedimentary record and associated geometries"], ''HAL open science, Université Bourgogne'', 2019, p. 60 (Illizi Basin). Retrieved on January 9, 2026.</ref>, where it was deposited as sand<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tack |first=Francis |title="Dünen, Sandmeere der Wüsten" |publisher=National Geographic Deutschland |year=2003 |isbn=978-3-934-38596-2 |pages=23, 28, 51 |language=de}}</ref>. During the dry periods of the Pleistocene and Holocene, 1.6 million years ago to about 3,000 years ago, the dunes of the Issaouane Erg formed within this basin<ref>Christopher Swezey, [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222354533_Eolian_sediment_responses_to_late_Quaternary_climate_changes_Temporal_and_spatial_patterns_in_the_Sahara "Eolian sediment responses to late Quaternary climate changes: Temporal and spatial patterns in the Sahara"], ''ResearchGate'', 2001, pp. 119, 121. Retrieved on November 6, 2025.</ref>. At that time, wind speeds were much higher at certain times, resulting in higher dunes than would be possible today<ref>{{Cite book |last=Busche |first=Detlev |title=Die zentrale Sahara: Oberflächenformen im Wandel |publisher=Justus Perthes Verlag |year=1998 |isbn=3-623-00550-9 |location=Gotha |pages=16 |language=de |trans-title=The central Sahara: Changing surface forms}}</ref>. The presence of both longitudinal and barchan dunes (which form due to unidirectional winds with minor deviations) with star dunes atop (which form when winds from various directions deposit sand) suggests that wind regimes have changed over time<ref>{{cite book|last=Bond|first=Peter|title=Exploring the Solar System|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HCnhb-r3dhAC&pg=PA78|year=2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781444351088|page=78}}</ref>. The formation of these stationary complex dunes can take hundreds of thousands of years, while changes in wind patterns can also take thousands of years until new dune formations have been created.<ref>Nicholas Lancaster, [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicholas-Lancaster/publication/237080611_Dune_Morphology_and_Dynamics/links/55104e270cf2ba84483d48f6/Dune-Morphology-and-Dynamics.pdf "Dune Morphology and Dynamics"], ''ResearchGate'', 2009, p. 283. Retrieved on January 10, 2026.</ref>. The sediment balance of the erg is positive except in the southeastern part with the long dunes, where the erg loses sand<ref name=Mainguet>Monique Mainguet et al., [https://www.persee.fr/doc/tigr_0048-7163_1984_num_59_1_1150 "Sédimentation éolienne au Sahara et sur ses marges"], ''Travaux de l'Institut Géographique de Reims'', 1984, p. 18 - 25, drawings pp. 20, 22, 24, (in French). Retrieved on December 4, 2025.</ref>.

== Topography == The Issaouane Erg is located north of the mountain range Tassili n'Ajjer. To the east, it borders Erg Bourarhet and the Idehan Ubari sand sea, Libya and in the north, the Issaouane Erg ends at the Tinrhert Plateau. To the west lies the smaller Erg Tiffernine, connected to it by a narrow passage 47 km wide. To a large extent it follows the 500-m contour of the surrounding landscape. The northern section features compound dunes (linear dunes with secondary dunes on top), sometimes also star dunes. Between the dunes (which are red from iron oxide) are depressions covered with sand and sabkhah (salt flats), left after the evaporation of accumulated water<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://space.io9.com/the-shifting-sands-of-the-sahara-are-a-lesson-in-dune-d-1697267920|title=The Shifting Sands Of The Sahara Are A Lesson In Dune Dynamics|last=McKinnon|first=Mika|date=7 June 2015|work=Io9|accessdate=10 October 2015}}</ref>. The southern half consists of linear dunes, up to 120 km long, often 2 to 3 km wide, with secondary dunes on top. Their orientation from northeast to southwest indicates the prevailing wind direction (northwest trade winds) at the time of their formation<ref>Nicolas Lancaster, [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237080552_Low_latitude_dune_fields "Low latitude dune fields"], ''ResearchGate'', 2007, p. 1. Retrieved on November 6, 2025.</ref>. In between are ''gassi'', which are sand-free areas with ''reg'' (gravel desert) or salty clayed crust soils<ref name=":0" />. The highest dunes of the erg rise up on its southwestern edge, where the sand has accumulated. Two dunes rise 270 m above the bedrock<ref>[https://opentopomap.org/#map=15/26.88229/7.33084 "OpenToipoMap", dune 1]. Retrieved on January 10, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://opentopomap.org/#map=16/26.92583/7.32831 "Open TopoMap", dune 2]. Retrieved on January 10, 2026.</ref>. In the northwest of the erg, there is a hill that protrudes from the erg: Khannfoussa, 646 m high and about 200 m above the surrounding bedrock.

== Climate == Data from Bordj Omar Driss:

The climate is classified as BWh by the Köppen-Geiger (Hot desert climate) * Average temperature of coldest month: January, 11°C * Average temperature of hottest month: July, 35°C<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 17, 2026 |title=Climate Data Bordj Omar Driss |url=https://en.climate-data.org/africa/algeria/illizi/bordj-omar-driss-332482/#temperature-graph |website=Climate Data}}</ref>

Data from Issaouane Erg: * Average precipitation: 25 mm/year * Annual evapotranspiration is estimated at 22 mm/year. * Most likely precipitation: December, January * The driest months: July, August<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watershed Data Report, part of Issaouane Erg |url=https://mghydro.com/app/report?lat=27.992&lng=7.298&precision=high&simplify=true |access-date=January 17, 2026}}</ref> * Predominant wind and direction of the current sand flow : from the southwest or west<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Ian Gordon |date=1971 |title=Desert Sandflow Basins and a Model for the Development of Ergs |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1796738 |access-date=January 17, 2026 |website=JSTOR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Google Earth - shows sand flow |url=https://earth.google.com/web/search/Tanarine/@26.99427298,7.78534726,506.36795912a,9726.38797345d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CiwiJgokCQAAAAAAAAAAEQAAAAAAAAAAGQAAAAAAAAAAIQAAAAAAAAAAQgIIAUICCABKDQj___________8BEAA |access-date=January 17, 2026}}</ref>

== Settlements, routes == There are no settlements within the erg. Close to the edge of the erg, in the northwest, is the town of Bordj Omar Driss (population approx. 2,760 in 2020), a few kilometers west of which is Zaouia Sidi Moussa (population approx. 300). In the southeast, the city of Illizi (population approx. 13,300 in 2020) borders the erg<ref>[https://mghydro.com/watersheds/ "Watersheds"], Watersheds - Delineate - Report - Population. Retrieved on January 9, 2026.</ref>. Within the erg, there are tracks and roads leading to oil production areas, some of which are already covered in sand again. The CW2 route leads from Illizi along the edge of the erg through the Oued Irarraren to the northwest. Later, it turns north and leads to Bordj Omar Driss. However, the last 180 km or so are still unpaved (as of 2025), so they are only passable with off-road vehicles<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 9, 2026 |title=Google Earth - Issaouane Erg |url=https://earth.google.com/web/search/Isaouane-n-Irarraren,+Illizi,+Algerien/@27.1099507,7.99049785,483.55271079a,257451.78364389d,35y,-0h,0t,0r/data=CiwiJgokCe3jFyg7rjtAEehghgIVgDpAGUgv7_NBeyFAIdAjxDPYSBlAQgIIAUICCABKDQj___________8BEAA}}</ref>.

== Prehistory and History == Neolithic artifacts, sculptures and paintings have been found in the Issouane Erg<ref>Gabriel Camps, [https://books.google.ch/books?id=TtAKAQAAIAAJ&q=Issaouane+Erg&redir_esc=y "Les civilisations préhistoriques de l'Afrique du Nord et du Sahara"], ''Doin'', 1974, ISBN 978-2-7040-0030-2, p. 306, (in French). Retrieved on January 9, 2026.</ref> from the Kiffian culture. Hand axes from the Acheulean period were also found<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roche |first=Jean |date=1950 |title=Sur quelques industries lithiques provenant du Nord-Est du Pays Ajjer |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/bspf_0249-7638_1950_num_47_5_2794 |journal=Bulletin de la Société préhistorique de France |volume=47 |issue=5 |pages=247-249 |via=persée}}</ref>. In the 19th century, and probably even earlier, a trade route led through the erg, following a path from Ouargla through the Grand Erg Oriental via Zaouia Sidi Moussa (then known as Temassinine) and through the erg to the southeast. It continued eastward via the Oued Irarraren and finally ended in Ghat (southeastern Libya), the junction of the great caravan route between Tripoli and the Sahel<ref>J. V. Barbier, [https://1886.u-bordeaux-montaigne.fr/s/1886/item/168522#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-1630%2C0%2C8011%2C5847 "1886: Algérie, Tunisie et Sahara central" (topographic map)], ''Université Bordeaux Montaigne'', Bordeaux, 2013, (in French). Retrieved on December 16, 2025.</ref>. During that century, there were many ''rezzous'' (raids by looters) by the Tuareg of the Kel Ajjer on the Chaambas, an Arab ethnic group further north, and vice versa, using this route. Both used to visit the ''zaouia'' in Temassinine, a Muslim tomb, to ask for success or to give thanks<ref name="Gardel">Gabriel Gardel: [https://books.google.ch/books?redir_esc=y&hl=de&id=Ol-IMgAACAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=avant+d%27aller+piller "Les Touareg Ajjer"], ''Edition Baconnier'', Algier, 1961, p. 207 (Fort Flatters), p. 108 (Zaouia - keyword: avant d'aller piller), p. 251 (Fort Polignac), (in French). Retrieved on January 9, 2026.</ref>. In 1880, French Colonel Paul Flatters was traveling along this route on a scientific expedition. The aim was to explore a possible route for the planned Trans-Saharan railway line<ref>Henri Brosselard, [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k104799z.r=henri%20brosselard?rk=321890;0 "Les deux missions Flatters au pays des Touareg Azdjer et Hoggar"], ''Jouvet'', Paris, 2e édition, 1889, p. 110-114, (in French). Retrieved on January 9, 2026.</ref>. In 1904, the French Fort Flatters was built east of Temassinine, and in 1909, Fort Polignac was built near what later became Illizi. Transport caravans now regularly traveled this route, loaded with supplies<ref name="Gardel"/>.

== Natural resources == There are two large natural gas and oil fields south of Bordj Omar Driss: Tin Fouye Tabankort oil and gas field<ref>[https://www.gem.wiki/Tin_Fouye-Tabankort_(TFT)_Oil_and_Gas_Field_(Algeria) "Tin Fouye-Tabankort (TFT) Oil and Gas Field (Algeria)"]. Retrieved on January 9, 2026.</ref> and Ain Tsila oil and gas field<ref>[https://www.gem.wiki/Ain_Tsila_Oil_and_Gas_Field_(Algeria) "Ain Tsila Oil and Gas Field"], ''WIKI Global Energy Monitor''. Retrieved on January 9, 2026.</ref>. More small oil fields are also being exploited in the same area. A natural gas and a liquefied gas pipeline also run from the Libyan border through this area towards Hassi Messaoud<ref>[https://sonatrach.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ENERGY-MAP-OF-ALGERIA-1-4.pdf "Energy map of Algeria"], ''Sonatrach'', 2024. Retrieved on December 10, 2025.</ref>.

<gallery mode="packed" heights=120> File:IssaouaneErg Algeria ISS010-E-13539.jpg|International Space Station: Complex dunes and sabkhah of Issaouane Erg File:Dune in Erg Issaouane.jpg|Reg and star dune on the southern edge of Erg Issaouane

File:TFT - Tin Fouyé Tabankort تين فويي تبنكورت - panoramio - habib kaki (1).jpg|TFT - base camp Tin Fouye Tabankort gas and oil field

</gallery>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

Category:Landforms of Algeria Category:Ergs of Africa Category:Natural regions of Africa