The Tallest Point in Niger

Dispersed across the Sahara Desert in northern Niger, the Aïr Mountains rise sharply from the low-lying sea of sand to provide unique scenery, aesthetically and geologically. The mountain range hosts volcanic peaks, is traversed by deep valleys, and makes up one of the world’s largest ring dike structures—a rare circular feature born from early volcanic activity. The natural-color image above shows a few of the ring dike structures that enclose granite massifs. The image was acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite on October 31, 2018. The scene highlights the stark contrast between the mountains and the surrounding lowlands, such as the Ténéré Desert to the west. In total, the Aïr Mountains extend across 84,000 square kilometers (32,000 square miles) and include the tallest peaks in Niger.