Emi Koussi

Friday, May 3, 2013

Emi Koussi

Emi Koussi (إيمي كوسي) is a high pyroclastic shield volcano that lies at the south end of the Tibesti Mountains in the central Sahara of northern Chad. It is the highest mountain in Chad, and the highest in the Sahara. The volcano is one of several in the Tibesti massif, and reaches 3445 m in altitude, rising 2.3 km above the surrounding sandstone plains. The volcano is 60 by 80 km wide.
The ascent of Emi Koussi alpinistically is easy but is very difficult due to the extreme water scarcity and associated logistical problems. The rise with camels from the south side to the edge of the caldera takes several days to complete. In winter the temperature drops at night in the caldera far below the freezing point.