###### Abstract  
The Rif Cordillera, an Alpine orogen in the Western Mediterranean, was developed by the interaction of Eurasian and African (Nubia) plates. Neotectonic deformations of the Rif foreland influence the relief, especially in post-nappe basins and their boundaries with Jurassic and Cretaceous carbonate mountain massfits, and they contribute to highlighting the recent evolution of the Cordillera. The topographic and hydrological lineaments of these basins were characterised on the basis of multi-scale morphostructural data analysis, supported by digital mapping and GIS. They were correlated with geological structures, essentially with fractures. The outcrops of the Upper Tortonian and Messinian deposits depict well-defined geometric shapes with roughly rectilinear boundaries, as defined by their contacts with the massive and rigid rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous series. Upper Tortonian deposits evidence major regional N70\({}^{\circ}\)E and N40\({}^{\circ}\)E lineaments, which are obliquely intersected by late structures. Messinian N120\({}^{\circ}\)E and N25\({}^{\circ}\)E lineaments, associated with N140\({}^{\circ}\)E lineaments, are also recognised. The interpretation of these lineaments as faults indicates the activity of two systems of Intensive sinistral and then dextral brittle shearing that correspond to two episodes of neotectonic deformation that played a decisive role in shaping the reliefs of the Eastern Rif. These deformations are particularly relevant to isolate basins and likely have a key role during the closure of the South Rifian corridor during the Mediterranean Messinian Salinity crisis. morphostructural lineament analysis; neotectonic deformations; Eastern Rif; post-nappe basins; Morocco; Tortonian; Messinian +
Footnote †: journal: Applied Sciences  
00  
that develop along the southern edge of the chain (Figure 1b), where they form the South Rifian corridor, as well as in the basins along the Mediterranean coast associated with the opening of the Alboran Sea. Although previous research has improved our knowledge of the paleo-stress and neotectonic evolution that are considered in this region since the Late Miocene [11; 14; 15; 16; 17], to date, the morphstructure of the region has not been analysed in detail. Sedimentary basins are mainly filled by Upper Miocene detritic deposits represented mainly by formations of the Upper Tortonian and Messinian, overlaid by scattered levels of Pliocene and Quaternary sediments. During the Messinian evolution, the closing of the Atlantic and Mediterranean connection along the South Rifian corridor due to tectonic evolution was a key process that finally developed the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Mediterranean [19]. Moreover, some volcanism also occurred in this area. Basin boundaries are generally characterised by well-determined rectilinear contacts that produce geometric forms and occupy low areas framed by Jurassic and Cretaceous massits (Figure 2). This geometry suggests that their individualisation is controlled by regional tectonic structures that played a decisive role in shaping morphostructural reliefs. Moreover, in sedimentary  
Figure 1: Structural sketch of plate boundaries (**a**) and of the Betic Rif Cordillera (**b**). Modified from [18]. Arrows in Figure 1a indicate the plate convergence. The detailed study area of Figure 2 is indicated. AIF, AI Idrissi Fault; AR, Alboran Ridge; AS, Alboran Sea; JF, Jebha Fault; NF, Nekor Fault; YF, Yusuf Fault; WAB, Western Alboran Basin. basins, where marly sediments predominate, tectonic markers are scarce and often subject to complex reactivations and crosscuts. In this setting, morphostructural studies based on the characterisation of the main lineaments constitute a main tool that reveals the fracture pattern and contributes to highlighting the geodynamic processes. The aim of this contribution is to analyse the post-nappe deformations of the Eastern Rif by studying the neotectonic lineament patterns that reveal the tectonic structures controlling the shape of compartmentalised reliefs.