Moroccan Meseta

the name given to the high plains and plateaus in northwestern Morocco, lying between the lowlands along the Atlantic coast in the west and the Middle Atlas and High Atlas mountains in the east. Average elevations range from 400 m in the coastal region to 1,600 m in the central part. The meseta’s foundation is composed of Paleozoic folded rocks breached by granite intrusions, which are associated with deposits of tin, tungsten, and molybdenum. Phosphorite deposits are found in Eocene sedimentary strata. The climate is of the subtropical Mediterranean type. In the north there are hard-leaved, chiefly everygreen, oak forests and in the south thickets of jujube (Zizyphus lotus) grow on brown soils.