Jebel Marra
Jebel Marra is a volcanic mountain massif in western Sudan, centered on the Deriba Caldera. Its peaks include the highest elevations in Sudan.
Deriba Caldera: A large volcanic caldera in Jebel Marra, containing two crater lakes. This caldera forms the massif’s volcanic center and contains its best-known lakes.
Volcanism: The processes by which magma and volcanic gases reach or approach Earth’s surface. Repeated eruptions and intrusions built Jebel Marra’s volcanic terrain.
Darfur: A region in western Sudan, comprising North, South, and Central Darfur states. Jebel Marra lies within Darfur and strongly shapes its central highlands.
Deriba Lakes: Two lakes occupying volcanic craters within the Deriba Caldera in western Sudan. They are the caldera’s most conspicuous water features.
Volcanic caldera: A large basin formed when a volcano’s magma chamber empties and the overlying ground collapses. Deriba is the defining example of this landform within Jebel Marra.
Caldera formation: The collapse of ground above a magma reservoir after substantial magma withdrawal. This process explains the origin of the Deriba basin.
Fur people: An ethnic group indigenous to Darfur, with a long history in the Jebel Marra highlands. Fur communities have cultivated and inhabited the massif for generations.
Marra Mountains: The principal highland range within the Jebel Marra massif of Darfur. This range contains the massif’s highest summits.
Volcanic field: A region containing multiple volcanic vents and landforms, rather than one central volcano. Jebel Marra is a broad volcanic province, not simply a single peak.
Erosion: The removal and transport of rock or soil by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Rainfall and streams have cut valleys into the massif’s volcanic slopes.