Chott

In geology, a chott (pronounced /ʃɔt/ and sometimes spelled shott; from the Arabic šaṭṭ شط "bank, coast", from the root šṭṭ "exceed, deviate") is a dry (salt) lake in the Saharan area of Africa (mainly in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) that stays dry in the summer, but receives some water in the winter. These lakes have changing shores and are dry for much of the year. They are formed by the waters of the spring thaw from the peaks of the Atlas mountain range, with occasional rainwater or groundwater discharge from sources in the Sahara, such as from the Bas Saharan Basin.