Lakes of Ounianga
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How it came to be
The Lakes of Ounianga are 18 lakes in the Sahara in the Ennedi region of north-eastern Chad. Rainfall is less than 2 mm a year, yet the lakes are fed by groundwater. They form two groups about 40 km apart, with saline, hypersaline and freshwater lakes. Less than 10,000 years ago a single, much larger lake filled the basin.
Of the four lakes of Ounianga Kebir, the largest, Yoa, covers 358 ha, and its water is so saline that only algae and some microorganisms live in it. The fourteen lakes of Ounianga Serir are separated by sand dunes, and floating reeds cover almost half their surface, which slows evaporation. Lake Teli has the largest area, 436 ha, but is less than 10 m deep.
A sediment core drilled from the bottom of Lake Yoa held 10,940 annual layers in 16 m. Its pollen showed that the area changed from forest to desert gradually, passing through scrubland and grassland on the way. The lakes were inscribed in 2012.
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