Crossing the Atlas Mountains: A Journey of Natural Wonders💧（2）

Geological Formation Background🔥: 💥The Atlas Mountains are the result of plate collisions and mountain-building processes: African and Eurasian Plate Collision (around 80 million years ago): Compression formed folded mountains, uplifting the High Atlas and Middle Atlas. 🌏 Volcanic Activity (Middle Atlas): Mantle plume activity around 20 million years ago triggered basalt eruptions. 🌋 💧❄️Erosion: Millions of years of wind, water, and glacial erosion sculpted canyons, plateaus, and isolated peaks. 🌬️ Interaction Between Landscape and Ecology🐆: Climate Divide: The High Atlas blocks the Sahara's heat, creating lush forests and farmland on the north-facing slopes and semi-desert conditions on the south-facing slopes. 🌧️🌵 Biodiversity: 🐒North slopes: Cedar and oak forests, home to the Barbary macaque. 🌳 South slopes: Drought-resistant argan trees and date palms, with occasional sightings of the endangered Barbary leopard. 🌴 💧Human Adaptation: The Berber people have built terraced fields along the mountainsides, utilizing snowmelt for irrigation and creating "vertical oases." 🌱 #AtlasMountains #Travel #Morocco #SnowCappedPeaks #Marrakech