What it’s really like on a field trip

Abstract

Anton van Gerwen, EAGE executive director, joined a field trip to the Tassili N’Ajjer, southeast Algeria, after the successful 2nd North Africa & Mediterranean Petroleum and Geoscience Conference in Algiers last April. This is his report along with photos from the field trip. In five days the group of 27 participants travelled from Djanet to Illizi, a virtual trip from the infra Cambrian unconformity to the lower Devonian via the Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian. The Tassili N’Ajjer offers geological sections, which represent structures similar to those found in a large part of North Africa. The Tassili Plateau offers a variety of geological formations and scenic interest, but is also a place of great historic value. For example, the national park contains one of the most important groupings of prehistoric cave art. Over 15,000 drawings and engravings show the migration of animal life and human life over a period of more than 6000 years before our calendar. The Tassili is also important for its wildlife with 28 national plant rarities, one internationally threatened plant species. and five endangered mammal species. Besides that, the area is a key resting station for migrating Palaearctic birds. Given this rarefied background, it is no wonder that the Tassili N’Ajjer National Park is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.