Atakor

The massive Atakor volcanic field is the largest in the Hoggar (or Ahaggar) volcanic province of southern Algeria and covers an area of 2,150 km2. Quaternary basaltic (mostly basanitic) scoria cones and lava flows lie near older trachytic and phonolitic lava domes and volcanic necks that form some of the most dramatic scenery of northern Africa. The latest stage of activity began around 1.95 million years and continued almost to the present. Lava flows cover Holocene lake sediments dated at about 10,000 BP and alluvial terraces in which Neolithic artifacts have been found. Pottery has been found within lava flows in the Tahifet area, and oral traditions of the Tuareg people suggest that eruptions were witnessed. Sporadic fumaroles and persistent small-scale seismicity have been reported.