Active tectonics in the Moroccan High Atlas

Sébrier, Michel; Siamé, Lionel; Zouine, El Mostafa; Winter, Thierry; Missenard, Yves; Leturmy, Pascale

doi:10.1016/j.crte.2005.12.001

Cited by 87 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Shortening rates were low, and averaged about 0.3 mm/a (7-8 km during 20-25 Ma). During the Quaternary, tectonic shortening continues at the front of the Guersif unit, as demonstrated by the presence of gentle deformed pediments and terraces in the western continuation of this thrust in the Toundout valley (Couvreur 1973;Sé brier et al 2006). Some authors postulated that the onset of the Atlas orogeny took place in the late Cretaceous or the early Tertiary (Laville et al 1977;Froitzheim et al 1988;Amrhar 1995).…”

Section: Timing and Sequence Of Deformationmentioning

confidence: 95%

Sequence of thrusting and syntectonic sedimentation in the eastern Sub-Atlas thrust belt (Dadès and Mgoun valleys, Morocco)

Tesón

Teixell

2006

Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)

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A series of balanced cross-sections across the Sub-Atlas thrust belt and the northern Ouarzazate basin are used to illustrate the structural geometry and the timing of deformation at the southern front of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The selected area is among the best sedimentary records of mountain building of the entire orogenic system. The study of the relationships between thrusts and synorogenic continental formations enables the unraveling of kinematic sequences and the proposal of a relative chronology of deformation. Active thrusting in the area occurred in a rather continuous fashion from the Oligocene to the Pliocene, punctuated by a major erosional phase imprecisely placed in late Oligocene to early Miocene times. Detrital sedimentary facies indicate that uplift in the hinterland of the High Atlas, to the north of the Sub-Atlas belt, was taking place already by mid Eocene times, although it might have commenced locally even earlier. Within the Sub-Atlas zone, the exposed faults did not propagate in a simple piggyback fashion but show evidence of a complex, synchronous sequence with events of fault reactivation and out-of-sequence thrusting.

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Section: Timing and Sequence Of Deformationmentioning

confidence: 95%

Sequence of thrusting and syntectonic sedimentation in the eastern Sub-Atlas thrust belt (Dadès and Mgoun valleys, Morocco)

Tesón

Teixell

2006

Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)

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“…In northern Africa (Atlas mountains) faulting of planation surfaces by reverse faults and thrusts and overall uplift is associated to the areas of active deformation (i.e. Morel et al, 2000;Sébrier et al, 2006), whose moderate activity during the Pliocene and the Quaternary can be compared to the Iberian Chain and Central System during the Paleocene and early stages of the Neogene and also provide a modern analogue for the evolution of the Iberian peninsula, combining basement thrusting, basin inversion (Arboleya et al, 2004), pediplanation and faulting of planation surfaces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the tectonic origin of Iberian topography

Sáinz

Muñoz

2009

Tectonophysics

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The present-day topography of the Iberian peninsula can be considered as the result of the Mesozoic -Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Iberian plate (including rifting and basin formation during the Mesozoic and compression and mountain building processes at the borders and inner part of the plate, during the Tertiary, followed by Neogene rifting on the Mediterranean side) and surface processes acting during the Quaternary. The northern-central part of Iberia (corresponding to the geological units of the Duero Basin, the Iberian Chain, and the Central System) shows a mean elevation close to one thousand meters above sea level in average, some hundreds of meters higher than the southern half of the Iberian plate. This elevated area corresponds to (i) the top of sedimentation in Tertiary terrestrial endorheic sedimentary basins (Paleogene and Neogene) and (ii) planation surfaces developed on Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks of the mountain chains surrounding the Tertiary sedimentary basins. Both types of surfaces can be found in continuity along the margins of some of the Tertiary basins. The Bouguer anomaly map of the Iberian peninsula indicates negative anomalies related to thickening of the continental crust. Correlations of elevation to crustal thickness and elevation to Bouguer anomalies indicate that the di erent landscape units within the Iberian plate can be ascribed to di erent patterns: (1) The negative Bouguer anomaly in the Iberian plate shows a rough correlation with elevation, the most important gravity anomalies being linked to the Iberian Chain. (2) Most part of the so-called Iberian Meseta is linked to intermediate-elevation areas with crustal thickening; this pattern can be applied to the two main intraplate mountain chains (Iberian Chain and Central System) (3) The main mountain chains (Pyrenees and Betics) show a direct correlation between crustal thickness and elevation, with higher elevation/crustal thickness ratio for the Central System vs. the Betics and the Pyrenees. Other features of the Iberian topography, namely the longitudinal pro le of the main rivers in the Iberian peninsula and the distribution of present-day endorheic areas, are consistent with the Tertiary tectonic evolution and the change from an endorheic to an exorheic regime during the Late Neogene and the Quaternary. Some of the problems involving the timing and development of the Iberian Meseta can be analysed considering the youngest reference level, constituted by the shallow marine Upper Cretaceous limestones, that indicates strong di erences induced by (i) the overall Tertiary and recent compression in the Iberian plate, responsible for di erences in elevation of the reference level of more than 6 km between the mountain chains and the endorheic basins and (ii) the e ect of Neogene extension in the Mediterranean margin, responsible for lowering several thousands of meters toward the East and uplift of rift shoulders. A part of the recent uplift within the Iberian plate can be attributed o sostatic uplift in zones of crusta...

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“…The present section concerns the integration of the Atlantic margin in the Atlas system; the main references are Hinz et al (1982a,b), Hafid et al (2000Hafid et al ( , 2006, Bouatmani et al (2003Bouatmani et al ( , 2004, Hafid (2006). For the Souss Basin, the useful references comprise Outtani (1996), Mustaphi et al (1997), Frizon de Lamotte et al (2000) and Sébrier et al (2006). The region studied now (Figs.…”

Section: The Western High Atlas and The Essaouira-haha And Souss Basimentioning

confidence: 98%