Geology Reference
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Keywords
Dinosaur footprints
Saharan atlas
Djurdjura
Algeria
Geological heritage
Mots-clés
Empreintes de pas de dinosaures
Atlas saharien
Djurdjura
Alg
é
rie
Patrimoine
é
g
ologique
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1
1
Introduction
2
Location and Geological Context
Until recently, dinosaur track sites were rarely known in
Algeria. Only two sites were known in the past; one located
in Amoura (Djebel Bou Kahil, eastern Saharan Atlas) and
another one in Tiout, near Ain Sefra (Ksour Mountains,
western Saharan Atlas). Dinosaur footprints of Amoura,
located in Cenomanian layers, were discovered in 1880 and
are the
Dinosaur footprint sites in Algeria are mainly located in the
Saharan Atlas, except for one site found in the Djurdjura
Mountains in northern Algeria (Fig. 1 ). The Saharan Atlas is
an intracontinental chain, uplifted during the Cenozoic that
includes to the west the Ksour Mountains, to the centre
Djebel Amour, and to the east, the Oulad Nail Mountains
and the Zibans, and continues into the Aures Mountains, in
the north-east (Herkat 2009 ). It contains a thick succession
of shallow marine or continental sedimentary rocks of
Mesozoic age (3,000
rst documented dinosaur tracks found in North
Africa (Le Mesle and Peron 1880 ). Those of the Tiout site
are known since 1971 and are located in the Triassic-Jurassic
boundary layer (Bassoullet 1971 ). Lately, numerous sites of
dinosaur footprints were discovered in the Cretaceous of El
Bayadh region in the western Saharan Atlas (Mahboubi et al.
2007 ; Regagba et al. 2007 ; Taquet 2010 ; Le Loeuff et al.
2012 ). These discoveries have restored interest in the study
of dinosaur tracks in Algeria, and opened debate on their
vulnerability as geosites.
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview on the
known dinosaur footprint sites in Algeria and to emphasise
the urgent need for their protection and their valorisation for
scienti
4,000 m thick). In the Ksour Moun-
tains, the dinosaur footprints of the Tiout site were discov-
ered in beds of Triassic-Jurassic age. In Djebel Amour
Mountains, dinosaur tracks sites of El Bayadh and Brezina
regions were identi
-
ed at Lower Cretaceous levels, while in
Ouled Nail Mountains, footprints at the Amoura site are
located in the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian).
The Djurdjura Mountains belong to the so-called
dorsale
calcaire
(limestone chain) and are the sedimentary cover of
the basement of the Internal Zones of the Maghrebides, the
Maghrebides orogenic system being a segment of the Alpine
c, educational, cultural and touristic purposes.
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