le bassin de tizi n test haut atlas maroc exemple d evolution d un segment oblique au rift de l atlantique central au trias detailed mapping completed by a microtectonic study of the tizi n test triassic basin located along the tizi n test fault zone in the moroccan high atlas has allowed us to improve the knowledge on the geometry of the structures and the activity of faults during the triassic extensional events related to the rifting of the central atlantic the latter are reflected by the development of a rift at present inverted and deformed by the collision of africa and europe comprising kilometric scale grabens and half grabens bounded by major faults trending ene wsw with a dip towards the nnw and a dip slip syndepositional motion inverse analysis of fault slickenside populations shows a heterogeneous triassic state of stress however in the most significant measurement sites the maximum horizontal stress 1 is vertical while the minimum stress 3 is horizontal with a nw se trend the strike slip component appears to be very small during the triassic a noticeable fact because of the obliquity of the basin w

jurassic penetrative deformation and cenozoic uplift in the central high atlas morocco a tectonic model structural and orogenic inversions the central high atlas is characterized by a relatively mild deformation with a local development of a more or less penetrative cleavage in the axial part of the belt locally this cleavage and the plutonic bodies which outcrop in the core of most of the north east trending anticlines ridges with intrusions are overlain by a disconformable sequence that comprises red clastic deposits which are capped by cenomano turonian limestones the age of these red deposits are bracketted between bathonian to mid cretaceous therefore the spatial relationship of the cleavage with mafic intrusions in the axial part of the central high atlas suggests that it developed contemporaneously with the emplacement of magmas probably during mid jurassic times during this period the structural inversion occurred from a transtensional regime to a transpressive regime there are few indications that an important shortening persisted within the axial part of the central high atlas after the end of the jurassic along the northern and the southern borders of the belt however cretaceous and cenozoic strata were deposited their sedimentary facies bear witness of successive stages of the atlas evolution especially the rapidly coarsening up of the clastic deposits since the oligocene in these marginal basins indicates the onset of the rising up of the belt i e the orogenic inversion

muddy and dolomitic rip up clasts in triassic fluvial sandstones origin and impact on potential reservoir properties argana basin morocco abstract the significance of rip up clasts as sandstone framework grains is frequently neglected in the literature being considered as accessory components in bulk sandstone composition however this study highlights the great value of muddy and dolomitic rip up clast occurrence as a information source about low preservation potential from floodplain deposits and b key element controlling host sandstone diagenetic evolution and thus ultimate reservoir quality high resolution petrographic analysis on triassic fluvial sandstones from argana basin t6 and t7 t8 units highlights the significance of different types of rip up clasts as intrabasinal framework components of continental sediments from arid climates on the basis of their composition and ductility three main types are distinguished a muddy rip up clasts b dolomitic muddy rip up clasts and c dolomite crystalline rip up clasts spatial distribution of different types is strongly facies related according to grain size origin of rip up clasts is related to erosion of coeval phreatic dolocretes in different development stages and associated muddy floodplain sediments cloudy cores with abundant inclusions and clear outer rims of dolomite crystals suggest a first replacive and a subsequent displacive growth respectively dolomite crystals are almost stoichiometric this composition is very similar to that of early sandstone dolomite cement supporting phreatic dolocretes as dolomite origin in both situations sandstone diagenesis is dominated by mechanical compaction and dolomite cementation a direct correlation exists between 1 muddy rip up clast abundance and early reduction of primary porosity by compaction with irreversible loss of intergranular volume igv and 2 occurrence of dolomitic rip up clasts and dolomite cement nucleation in host sandstone occluding adjacent pores but preserving igv both processes affect reservoir quality by generation of vertical and 3d fluid flow baffles and barriers that compartmentalize the reservoir these findings may provide quantitative useful data for the better understanding of reservoir quality in analogous hydrocarbon bearing basins such as the bay of fundy nova scotia canada

the enigma of prokaryotic life in deep hypersaline anoxic basins deep hypersaline anoxic basins in the mediterranean sea are a legacy of dissolution of ancient subterranean salt deposits from the miocene period our study revealed that these hypersaline basins are not biogeochemical dead ends but support in situ sulfate reduction methanogenesis and heterotrophic activity a wide diversity of prokaryotes was observed including a new abundant deeply branching order within the euryarchaeota furthermore we demonstrated the presence of a unique metabolically active microbial community in the discovery basin which is one of the most extreme terrestrial saline environments known as it is almost saturated with mgcl2 5 m

geodynamics of rifting and implications for hydrocarbon habitat abstract rifting activity is probably mainly governed by frictional forces exerted on the base of the lithosphere by the convecting sub lithospheric upper mantle combined with deviatoric tensional stresses developing over upwelling branches of the asthenospheric convection system and by far filed stresses controlling the interaction of lithospheric plates moving relative to each other mantle plumes rising from the deep mantle do not appear to be a major driving force of rifting therefore it is questioned whether a distinction between active and passive rifts is still justified lithospheric extension triggers by decompression partial melting of the lower lithosphere and upper asthenosphere magmatic processes contribute materially to thinning of the subcrustal lithosphere and probably also of the lower crust this could explain the frequently observed discrepancy between upper crustal extension by faulting and lower crustal attenuation as defined by refraction and deep reflection seismic data the duration of the rifting stage of palaeorifts and passive margins is highly variable depending on plate interaction crustal separation can be achieved after as little as 7 ma and as much as 280 ma of rifting activity the availability of crustal discontinuities does not appear to play a significant role in the time required for crustal separation to be achieved the structural style of rifts is controlled by the physical state of the lithosphere the mode and amount of its extension and the lithological composition of pre and syn rift sediments subsidence of rift basins is controlled by the balance between isostatic adjustment of the crust to lithospheric stretching and uplift induced by mechanical and thermal attenuation of the subcrustal lithosphere post rift basin subsidence is mainly governed by the decay of rift induced thermal anomalies densification of the lower crust and intra plate stresses provide overprinting effects in view of this it is unlikely that quantitative analyses of post rift basin subsidence give a direct measure of lithospheric extension tectonically active rifts palaeorifts and passive margin basins contain major hydrocarbon provinces their hydrocarbon charge can rely exclusively on pre rift syn rift or post rift sedimentary sequences or a combination thereof maturation of source rocks can be achieved during the syn and or post rift stage of basin evolution during rifting conductive and convective heat transfer accounts for elevated geothermal gradients these play an important role in the maturation of pre and syn rift source rocks thermal gradients decrease asymptotically during the post rift stage

cyclicity of triassic to lower jurassic continental red beds of the argana valley morocco implications for palaeoclimate and basin evolution abstract cyclical playa deposits form a prominent part of the continental clastic succession of the argana valley western high atlas of morocco the red beds formed in triassic to lower jurassic times during rifting of the north american and african plates detailed stratigraphic work revealed asymmetrical metre scale cycles in mudstone dominated successions that constitute the intermediate and upper portion of the basin fill sedimentary cycles commonly comprise ephemeral lake shales at the base playa mudflat mudstones in the intermediate part and both fluvial and aeolian sandstones at the top cycles of the aglegal member t4 are mainly characterized by analcime rich playa mudflat deposits displaying features indicative of palaeo vertisols cycles of the sidi mansour t7 and hasseine t8 members are represented by ephemeral lake or dry playa mudflat deposits grading into saline mudflat mudstones that are overlain by sheet flow and minor aeolian sandstones sedimentary cycles of the imerhrane member t9 comprise sheet delta sandstones at the base overlain by ephemeral lake and dry playa mudflat mudstones upper cycle portions consist of aeolian dune and sand sheet sandstones cyclicity is attributed to palaeoclimatic and associated palaeohydrological fluctuations probably within the milankovitch frequency band sedimentary facies of each cycle provide evidence for a gradual climatic drying with time the asymmetrical drying upward cycles possibly record the precession cycle since they are modulated by symmetrical i e oscillating drying wetting cycles of a lower frequency indicative of eccentricity a long term change in palaeoclimate ranging from semi arid conditions with seasonal precipitation t4 towards an arid non seasonal climate t8 is preserved within the cyclical units spanning a time interval of several million years individual cycles can be traced laterally for tens of kilometres correlative sections are almost identical in thickness suggesting a phase of tectonic quiescence during their deposition sediment accumulation was not restricted to small scale grabens but took place continuously throughout the exposed area of the argana valley implying that accommodation space has not been controlled by syndepositional tectonism

oblique extension in the jurassic trough of the central and eastern high atlas morocco a field structural analysis has been carried out in the high atlas mountains of morocco paleostress solutions provide information on the successive orientations of major stress patterns during mesozoic and cenozoic time an initial rift stage in the early jurassic is characterized by normal oblique faults bounding tilted blocks which are associated with tensional paleostress patterns whose minimum component trends west northwest east southeast faults parallel to this direction are interpreted as paleotransfer faults we assume that the divergent motion responsible for the opening of the rift system in the early jurassic was oriented west northwest east southeast subparallel to the paleotransfer faults and the trend of the minimum component a of the paleostress field the east west trending jurassic central eastem high atlas rift opened obliquely and not in a pure strike slip stress regime along east west striking faults as previously proposed a later stage of rifting middle jurassic is characterized by large normal faults and is supposed to accompany local movements probably due to gravity the uplift of the high atlas belt occurred mainly during the cenozoic period as a consequence of a north south to northwest southeast directed compression related to collision between europe and africa rcsumc une analyse structurale sur le terrain a kt6 effectuk dans les montagnes du haut atlas marocain les solutions du problbme des palkocontraintes renseignent sur les orientations successives des principaux modes de distribution des contraintes durant les pkriodes du mksozoique et du ctnozoique un stade initial de rift est apparu au jurassique prkcoce il est caractkrisk par des failles normales obliques dtveloppces en bordure de blocs basculcs elles sont associces au rkgirne des palhontraintes extensives avec une composante minimale orientce ouest nord ouest est sud est les failles paralltles i cette direction sont interprktks come des failles de palcotransfert nous supposons que le mouvement de divergence responsable de l ouverture du systkme de rift au jurassique prccoce ctait orient6 ouest nord ouest est sud est subparalltle aux failles de palkotransfert et a la direction de la composante minimale a3 du champ de pal6ocontraintes le rift jurassique de direction est ouest de la rcgion centrale orientale du haut atlas fut overt obliquement contrairement l hypothtse proposk antkrieurement d un regime coulissant de contrainte pure agissant le long des failles orientkes est ouest le stade tardif de distension jurassique moyen est caractcrisk par de grandes failles normales on assume qu il chit accompagnk de mouvements locaux probablement d origine gravitaire le soultvement de la ceinture du haut atlas a kt6 rkalisk principalement durant la pcriode du ccnozoique comme la cons6quence de la compression orientke nord sud 9 nord ouest sud est associce b la collision entre 1 europe et 1 afrique traduit par la rkdacti

tectonic evolution of the fundy rift basin canada evidence of extension and shortening during passive margin development seismic and field data show that the fundy rift basin of southeastern canada experienced two distinct episodes of deformation during mesozoic time the first episode during middle triassic to early jurassic time was extensional rifting associated with nw se extension reactivated ne trending paleozoic compressional structures as normal faults forming the northwestern boundary faults of the fundy basin displacements on the low angle boundary faults locally exceeded 10 km rifting also reactivated east trending paleozoic compressional structures as oblique slip faults with normal and sinistral strike slip components forming the northern boundary faults of the fundy basin several kilometers of sediments and lava flows filled the basin during rifting the second deformational episode occurred during or after early jurassic time and probably before or during early cretaceous time inversion associated with nw se shortening occurred along all faulted margins of the fundy basin the northwestern boundary faults experienced several kilometers of reverse displacement broad anticlines developed within their hanging walls and the fundy basin acquired its synclinal form the northern boundary faults of the fundy basin became oblique slip faults with reverse and dextral strike slip components gentle synclines tight anticlines and faults with reverse separation deformed the synrift strata near the northern margin of the fundy basin neither collision nor subduction zones existed near the fundy basin during mesozoic time hence we believe that tectonic processes associated with seafloor spreading e g incipient ridge push forces continental resistance to plate motion produced the shortening in the fundy basin shortening occurred during the transition from rifting to drifting as north america separated from northern africa and or during the early stages of drifting as the seafloor spreading centers of the north atlantic propagated northward

subsidence history in basins of northern algeria abstract the tellian foreland in algeria represents a part of the southern tethyan margin during the mesozoic its tectonic evolution includes a rifting stage during the triassic and liassic times characterised by tilted blocks and early diapiric events during the liassic a post rift regime from middle jurassic up to the late cretaceous and basin inversion during the tertiary related to the african and european plates convergence the subsidence modelling supported by surface and subsurface data integration emphasises different subsidence phases 1 liassic subsidence phase under tethyan and atlantic control related to crustal thinning 2 late jurassic cretaceous and tertiary subsidence phases where the first one is linked to diapiric events and the second in eastern algeria to the effects of the rifting event developed more easterly in the gulf of gabes and sirte the last one is flexural and occurs in foreland basins during the tertiary taking into account the subsidence record of each structural domain a correlation between tectonic events and the subsidence phases can be established

synsedimentary faulting and palaeocurrent patterns in the triassic sandstones of the high atlas morocco the influence of syndepositional fault patterns on palaeocurrents is demonstrated in fluvial to shallow marine sandstones of upper triassic basins in the high atlas the synsedimentary nature of faults is deduced from hydroplastic slickensides thickness variations due to block tilting and dislocation of layers next to the fault scarp on a regional scale it is shown that the major normal fault trend of n050 070 controlled the overall palaeocurrent pattern which was directed towards the west southwest i e in the direction of the future atlantic ocean some anomalies in the palaeocurrent pattern could be related to an increase in subsidence which induced a general coarsening of sediment towards the top of the triassic

the origin of intraplate deformation in the atlas system of western and central algeria from jurassic rifting to cenozoic quaternary inversion abstract analysis of petroleum exploration data supplemented by paleostress data enabled discussion of the origin of the deformation in the western and central saharan atlas algeria this intraplate area has recorded the breakup of pangea late triassic the opening of the maghrebian tethys since the dogger and subsequently its closure oligocene to present however the two periods of strong coupling between europe and africa late lutetian and pleistocene which correspond to rapid uplifts of the atlas system and important deformations are not collision related they can be correlated to the beginning and the end of the development of the western mediterranean sea

crustal deformation and submarine canyon incision in a meso cenozoic first order transfer zone sw iberia north atlantic ocean using a dense grid of high quality 2d seismic profiles dredge and outcrop data the offshore prolongation of a first order transfer zone the messejana plasencia fault zone mpfz is explained within the context of oblique rifting between southwest iberia newfoundland and west tethys the offshore mpfz is shown to comprise a 5 10 km wide region of deformation oblique to the continental margin reactivated in the mesozoic as part of a wider transcurrent domain the sao vicente sub basin here the geometry of faults and strata denotes the generation of a pull apart basin during the jurassic early cretaceous in contrast its late cretaceous to cenozoic evolution favours left lateral transpression during the counter clockwise rotation and eastward migration of iberia towards its present position erosion was subsequently enhanced in the sao vicente sub basin due to the reactivation of syn rift structures by documenting the evolution of the sao vicente sub basin and adjacent mpfz this work demonstrates 1 the temporal and spatial scales in which first order transfer zones accommodate crustal movements during continental rifting and subsequent inversion episodes 2 the generation of an extensive region of strain accommodation in the vicinity of the mpfz an observation with profound implications to future palaeogeographic reconstructions of the north atlantic ocean and 3 that the sao vicente canyon the physiographic expression of the mpfz incised the margin as early as the latest cretaceous paleocene synchronously with the onset of tectonic uplift in southwest iberia in such a setting the sao vicente sub basin and mpfz formed important by pass corridors for sediment sourced from proximal areas of the margin at present the mpfz comprises a complex releasing restraining bend accommodating important vertical and horizontal movements in southwest iberia based on earthquake data from similar transfer zones the mpfz should be able to generate large magnitude earthquakes and potentially destructive tsunamis

rift controlled fluvial tidal transitional series in the oukai meden sandstones high atlas of marrakesh morocco abstract the carnian formation of the oukai meden sandstones was deposited in the northwestern corner of the african craton along tectonic troughs grouped as a wsw ene rift system on the southwestern margin of the tethys red sandstones represent mainly distal braided stream deposits where very extensive sand flats with 3d dunes 2d sand waves and high regime horizontally laminated sandstones predominate the similarities in orientation between current patterns and trough border faulting the sudden large variations in the thickness of deposits and the occurrence of lateral alluvial fans along the marginal faults are all evidence of the tectonic control of sedimentation the middle part of this clastic continental rift series includes finer facies containing marine reworked or in situ fossils and tracks as well as sedimentary structures interpreted as being of tidal origin especially overlapping s shaped sets the episodic marine influxes that occur within these continental rift deposits are thought to result from the substantial downdropping of tectonic blocks and the drowning of fluviatile facies by the peritethyan marine domain to the northeast the development of marine facies was of relatively short duration and figures little in the sedimentary record butit is evidence of the earliest mesozoic onlaps of the tethys over the african craton in a carnian rift

the neogene quaternary evolution of the guercif basin morocco reconstructed from seismic line interpretation abstract the neogene guercif basin of northeastern morocco is the eastern continuation of the rifean foredeep from which it has been separated by the late neogene uplift of the tazzeka spur of the middle atlas a dense grid more than 1200 km of seismic reflection profiles across the basin acquired during various surveys 1977 1982 1984 1985 the drilling of several wells used to calibrate the seismic profiles in particular those affecting the neogene quaternary sequence as well as the available superficial geological data allow us to describe the late tertiary quaternary evolution of this basin the guercif basin is superimposed on late cretaceous eocene inversion structures involving jurassic half grabens which are the downplunge northeastern continuation of the middle atlas extensive pre tortonian erosion mainly due to tectonic uplift occurred prior to the main neogene subsidence event which was due to the emplacement of the rifean nappes minor early tortonian extension is observed but by the end of the tortonian an overall compressional regime began which continued into the plio quaternary and involves minor reactivation of the pre existing inversion structures as well as the formation of narrow salt cored anticlines the same compressional regime is also responsible for the renewed uplift of the middle atlas and the masgout uplift to the north of the basin

the inverted triassic rift of the marrakech high atlas a reappraisal of basin geometries and faulting histories the high atlas of morocco is an aborted rift developed during the triassic jurassic and moderately inverted during the cenozoic the marrakech high atlas with large exposures of basement and triassic early syn rift deposits is ideal to investigate the geometries of the deepest parts of a rift constituting a good analogue for pre salt domains it allows unraveling geometries and kinematics of the extensional and compressional structures and the influence that they exert over one another a detailed structural study of the main triassic basins and basin margin faults of the marrakech high atlas shows that only a few rift faults were reactivated during the cenozoic compressional stage in contrast to previous interpretations and emphasizes that fault reactivation cannot be taken for granted in inverted rift systems preserved extensional features demonstrate a dominant dip slip opening kinematics with strike slip playing a minor role at variance to models proposing a major strike slip component along the main basin bounding faults including faults belonging to the tizi n test fault zone a new middle triassic paleogeographic reconstruction shows that the marrakech high atlas was a narrow and segmented orthogonal rift sub perpendicular to the main regional extension direction which was nw se in contrast to the central and eastern segments of the atlas rift which developed obliquely this difference in orientation is attributed to the indented ouzellarh precambrian salient part of the west african craton which deflected the general rift trend in the area evidencing the major role of inherited lithospheric anisotropies in rift direction and evolution as for the cenozoic inversion total orogenic shortening is moderate 16 and appears accommodated by basement involved large scale folding and by newly formed shortcut and by pass thrusting with rare left lateral strike slip indicators triassic faults commonly acted as buttresses

discussion of velocity description of deformation paper 3 the effects of temperature dependent rheology on extensional basin architecture by willacy waltham and mcclay 1995

geophysical evidence of cretaceous volcanics in logone birni basin northern cameroon central africa and consequences for the west and central african rift system abstract detailed analyses and interpretation realized by combining existing 2d reflection seismic and gravity magnetic data of the logone birni basin lbb in the west and central african rift system wcas have revealed the distribution of the main buried volcanic bodies as well as their relationships with the structural and tectonic evolution of this basin the volcanic activity in the lbb is restricted to the cretaceous period three main volcanic episodes are identified and are associated to the neocomian late albian and cenomanian turonian rifting phases respectively the volcanic bodies within the lower cretaceous are either lying directly on basement or are mainly interbedded with the contemporaneous sediments whereas the upper cretaceous bodies are morphologically expressed in the forms of dykes and sills the volcanic activity was more intense in the western region of the central lbb zina sub basin along the cameroon nigeria border whereas it was scanty and scattered in the other parts of the basin the main volcanic dykes are found on the flanks of the major faults bounding basement horsts or in crestal positions in association with syndepositional faults although wcas is associated with large amount of crustal extension and minor volcanism the intense volcanic activity observed in lbb during the cretaceous suggests that the intrusive zone during this period was confined to the basement beneath the study area flanked respectively to the north south and southwest by the lake chad poli and chum triple junctions tensional stresses generated by this localized domal uplift accounts for most of the observed tectonic structures where major faults transected the entire lithosphere thus providing conduits for magma migration

mid triassic to early liassic clastic evaporitic deposits over the maghreb platform abstract the development of triassic to lower liassic clastic evaporitic series over the epicratonic maghreb platform is closely associated with the eastern opening of a tethyan marine domain between africa and europe west of the platform morocco became separated from north america in late triassic times by rifting along the axis of the proto atlantic ocean in addition ne sw and ene wsw trending atlasic half grabens formed essentially in morocco as part of a late triassic early liassic atlas rifting episode this is the tectonic context in which the red bed to evaporite sequences were deposited a first depositional pattern is illustrated by the areally extensive onlapping of upper triassic clastic evaporitic series over the algerian saharan platform from the carnian to the norian distal mudflats and evaporites graded westward i e landward into proximal fluvial facies seven stratigraphic cycles formed part of a general base level rise of a major retrogradational clastic to evaporitic cycle indicative of general tectonic subsidence of the algerian platform as a whole the evaporites are thus interpreted as markers of persistent onlapping occurring at the edge of the basin as clastic influxes gradually diminished a second depositional pattern is provided by ladinian to rhaetian clastic evaporitic carbonate transgressive sequences of the atlasic domain in tunisia these terminate characteristically in marine facies in this domain intense tectonic activity was consistently offset by a high rate of evaporitic or clastic sedimentation in shallow water environments a third depositional pattern is illustrated in the moroccan high atlas in the central part of this range carnian red conglomerates and sheet like sandstones of a distal braided fluvial plain were deposited in tectonic troughs that linked together as part of a rift system episodic connections occurred with the tethyan domain to the northeast in the western high atlas an upper carnian norian sequence several hundred meters thick displays a general trend from clastics to evaporites reflecting the development of arid paleoclimatic conditions the moroccan meseta provides examples of clastic evaporitic depositional patterns within intracratonic troughs clastic filling of rift induced troughs in the oujda mountains exhibits significant facies and thickness variations ranging from local proximal alluvial and distal anastomosed channel systems through to dominant mudflat systems in the 1000 m thick series of the 60 km long khemisset basin facies range from red beds located mainly along the basin margins to salt dominated deposits in the basin center increasing accommodation controlled the deposition of evaporites and the maximum flooding surface is to be found in typical halite deposits with interbedded bands of clays at that time greater tectonic subsidence rates allowed more marked episodic marine incursions clastic evaporitic series from the passive margin of the moroccan atlantic coast are known only from bore holes and onshore and offshore seismic data recent papers have reported interesting sections across strongly subsiding grabens or tilted blocks related to predominantly ssw nne faults

the moroccan anti atlas the west african craton passive margin with limited pan african activity implications for the northern limit of the craton abstract the moroccan anti atlas region located south of the south atlas fault has been viewed traditionally as containing two segments separated by the anti atlas major fault these two segments are said to consist of a 600 700 ma pan african segment located in the northeast and b 2 ga eburnian segment situated to the southwest on the basis of observations in the zenaga and saghro inliers and of a recent literature review we suggest that this subdivision is inappropriate in that eburnian and pan african materials occur throughout the anti atlas region the entire anti atlas is underlain by eburnian crust unconformably overlain by a lower neoproterozoic passive margin allochthonous pan african ocean crustal slices were thrust onto the west african craton wac passive margin sequence 685 ma ago as a result of pan african accretion tectonics high level high k calc alkaline and alkaline granitoids locally intruded the anti atlas sequence as a whole at the end of the pan african orogeny at 585 560 ma the intervening 100 m y interval was marked by quiescence this succession of events can be related to the behaviour of one single rigid cratonic passive margin during an orogeny and correlated to the pan african events that occurred to the east in the tuareg shield and to the north in avalonian terranes this model implies that the actual northern limit of the wac is located at the south atlas fault saf and not at the anti atlas major fault aamf we propose that the aamf corresponds to the southwestern boundary of an aulacogen that formed along the northern margin of the wac during early neoproterozoic times this is consistent with the development of the gourma aulacogen on the eastern side of the wac this model further suggests that the northeastern boundary of the wac occurs north and not south of ougarta algeria support for this model is provided by geological and geophysical evidence

a sedimentological model for the continental upper triassic tadrart ouadou sandstone member recording an interplay of climate and tectonics argana valley south west morocco the continental upper triassic tadrart ouadou sandstone member was deposited in an extensional setting on the pangaean continent strongly influenced by a low latitude climatic regime 10 to 20 north complex interaction of basin subsidence and climatically driven processes led to high facies variability and a lack of correlatable units across the argana valley exposures a process orientated approach integrating detailed facies with architectural element analysis was undertaken which resulted in a multistage depositional model for the tadrart ouadou sandstone member the basin scale model shows that basal alluvial fan and braided river systems are confined to the centre of the argana valley exposures aeolian deposits occur throughout the sequence but dominate in the north after a phase of playa deposition prominent basin wide fluvial incision of up to 8 m marks the onset of perennial fluvial flow these well sorted internally complex and locally highly amalgamated fluvial sandstones are widespread throughout the basin and are focused in a north to south south west flowing channel system after a final stage of aeolian sedimentation sandstone deposition of the tadrart ouadou sandstone member in the argana valley is terminated rapidly by the onlap of lacustrine mudstones of the sidi mansour member the study revealed that except for one pronounced period of perennial conditions sedimentation is controlled largely by ephemeral fluvial flow alternating ground water tables deflation processes and periods with limited periodic local run off the study highlights that facies architecture in the basin is the result of complex interaction of local syn sedimentary tectonics and the climatic regime within the basin but also the climate of the catchment area to the east the data suggest a proximal to mid distal basin setting in the rain shadow to the west of a mountain range massif ancien which exerted a strong control on the depositional environments of triassic deposits exposed in this part of south west morocco

syn and postrift evolution of the el jadida agadir basin morocco constraints for the rifting models of the central atlantic the el jadida agadir basin shows an evolution related to that of the central atlantic rifting history the synrift period late early triassic to earliest jurassic is dominated by deposition of red clastic sediments and evaporites which are overlain by or intercalated with basalt flows two intense extensional phases are recognized the first probably in middle triassic times is oriented north northwest south southeast and resulted in the formation of east northeast west southwest oriented grabens and half grabens the second a widespread northwest southeast trending extension is ladinian to earliest liassic and induced the formation of westward dipping half grabens extensional tectonics initiated in the southern part of the basin and migrated northwards contrary to classical ideas proposing rifting from north to south the postrift evolution is characterized by jurassic to eocene subsidence tectonism appears to have been restricted to a narrow area close to the present day coast subsidence h

dynamic processes controlling evolution of rifted basins abstract the extension of the lithosphere controlling the development of rifted basins is driven by a combination of plate boundary forces frictional forces exerted on the base of the lithosphere by the convecting asthenosphere and deviatoric tensional stresses developing over upwelling branches of the asthenospheric convection system although mantle plumes are not a primary driving force of rifting they play an important secondary role by weakening the lithosphere and by controlling the level of rift related volcanic activity a distinction between active and passive rifting is only conditionally justified the extension of the lithosphere depending on its rate and magnitude and the potential temperature of the asthenosphere can cause by adiabatic decompression partial melting of the lower lithosphere and upper asthenosphere in rift systems the level and timing of volcanic activity is highly variable the lack of volcanic activity implies passive rifting an initial passive rifting stage can be followed by a more active one during which magmatism plays an increasingly important role magmatic destabilization of the moho may account for the frequently observed discrepancy between upper and lower crustal extension factors combined with evidence for thermal thinning of the mantle lithosphere this suggest that the volume of the lithosphere is not necessarily preserved during rifting as advocated by conventional stretching models the structural style of rifts is controlled by the rheological structure of the lithosphere the availability of crustal discontinuities that can be tensionally reactivated the mode orthogonal or oblique and amount of extension and the lithological composition of pre and syn rift sediments simple shear extension prevails in rifts that subparallel the structural grain of the basement pure shear extension is typical for rifts cross cutting the basement grain pre existing crustal and mantle lithospheric discontinuities contribute to the localization of rift systems the duration of the rifting stage of extensional basins is highly variable stress field changes can cause abrupt termination of rifting in major rift systems progressive strain concentration on the zone of future crustal separation entails abandonment of lateral rifts depending on constraints on lateral block movements crustal separation can be achieved after as little as 9 my and as much as 280 my of rifting activity syn rift basin subsidence is controlled by isostatic adjustment of the crust to mechanical stretching of the lithosphere its magmatic inflation and thermal attenuation of the mantle lithosphere post rift basin subsidence is governed by thermal reequilibration of the lithosphere asthenosphere system deep seated thermal anomalies related to syn rift pull up of the asthenosphere lithosphere boundary have decayed after 60 my by about 65 and after 180 my by about 95 the magnitude of post rift subsidence is a function of the rift induced thermal anomaly and crustal density changes the potential temperature of the asthenosphere and initial water depths intraplate stresses can have an overprinting effect on post rift subsidence stretching factors derived from post rift subsidence analyses must be corrected for such effects

role of synsedimentary strike slip faults in the formation of moroccan triassic basins upper triassic sandstone and siltstone infilled basins in the massif ancien of the high atlas morocco are distributed along a complex east northeast trough at the boundary between the hercynian orogen and the west african craton the formation of these basins involved a dense pattern of pre existing faults hydroplastic slickensides which affect nonlithified sediments help identify not only dip slip but also strike slip faults together with other tectonic and sedimentary structures the directional distribution of these faults leads to a model in which extension varies from north northwest during lower unit sandstone infilling to northwest during upper unit siltstone infilling the latter direction is compatible with the formation of the lower liassic intrusional doleritic dikes of the anti atlas