Constraining Mesozoic early post-rift depositional systems evolution along the eastern Central Atlantic margin

Abstract

Extensive Mesozoic outcrops exposed in the Aaiun-Tarfaya Basin, in the Atlantic margin of Morocco, have been overlooked for decades. Original subdivisions and dating of rocks, performed more than five decades ago, have survived until today virtually without any update. In the north eastern margin of the basin, key Mesozoic sections have been revisited. Its coastal position next to the Variscan Anti-Atlas Orogen allows insight into the interplay between local tectonics and eustasy during deposition of sedimentary sequences on passive margins. High-resolution stratigraphy and sedimentology have allowed for an improved understanding of the depositional systems and evolution during the early opening of the Atlantic and provided a valuable control point recording the syn-and early post-rift evolution of the basin. Three formations are described: (i) a basal continental red bed unit unconformably overlying the Palaezoic Variscan basement of the Ifni Inlier; (ii) a unit dominated by intertidal clastics and microbial carbonates, and (iii) a shallow marine unit comprising mixed siliciclastic-carbonates. Despite the sedimentological affinity of these outcrops to Triassic or Lower Jurassic deposits elsewhere in Morocco, these units had previously been assigned an Early Cretaceous age, based on limited non-conclusive fossil fauna and basinscale lithostratigraphic correlation. New collections of macrofauna have yielded a Bathonian age for the upper part of the succession and a possible Triassic/Early Jurassic for the lower part. The whole succession displays an overall transgressive trend not consistent with the eustatic Bathonian sea-level fall. Local postrift tectonic pulses exhuming the Western Anti-Atlas coupled with eustasy are responsible for increased sediment supply at this time. Enhanced tectonic subsidence, overcoming sea-level fall, is interpreted to be the main driver for creation of accommodation and preservation of this sequence. Resumed sedimentation on structural heights offshore suggests exhumation of the Western Anti-Atlas ceased by the early Callovian, reducing clastic input to the region and allowing the development of a carbonate platform. Variable regional exhumation and local tectonics along the Moroccan margin during the early post-rift stage 2 influenced the highly variable nature of clastic vs carbonate deposition, thickness distribution and depositional environments at this time.

Low-temperature thermochronology as a control on vertical movements for semi-quantitative Source-to-Sink analysis: A case study for the Permian to Neogene of Morocco and surroundings

“…Here, we assume that exhumation rates change following a normal distribution between data points (Figure 3; step 2.2) and the interpolation method (IDW) calculates each cell value using a linearly weighted combination of surrounding input points (unless interrupted by faults). 16 Fiechtner et al (1992); 17 Hollard et al, (1985); 18 Benyoucef et al (2015); 19 Zouhri et al (2008); 20 Arantegui et al (2019); 21 Ranke et al (1982); 22 Hill et al (2008); 23 Tari and Jabour (2013…”

“…An example is the use of an Early Cretaceous modelling geological constraint (Early Cretaceous sediment overlying Basement) in the Anti-Atlas (Ghorbal, 2009;Oukassou et al, 2013;Ruiz et al, 2011;Sehrt et al, 2017a). Recent biostratigraphic work has redated much of the terrestrial to shallow marine sediment in the Tarfaya area (mapped as Lower Cretaceous) as being conclusively Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) or older Jurassic/ Triassic, with implications for the modelling (Arantegui et al, 2019;Charton et al, 2018). Finally, in the western Anti-Atlas, recent work by Arantegui (2018) presents new biostratigraphic data that conclusively dates the local redbeds (mapped as Lower Cretaceous) as Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) or older.…”

Low‐temperature thermochronology as a control on vertical movements for semi‐quantitative source‐to‐sink analysis: A case study for the Permian to Neogene of Morocco and surroundings

“…An example is the use of an Early Cretaceous modelling geological constraint (Early Cretaceous sediment overlying Basement) in the Anti‐Atlas (Ghorbal, 2009; Oukassou et al., 2013; Ruiz et al., 2011; Sehrt et al., 2017a). Recent biostratigraphic work has re‐dated much of the terrestrial to shallow marine sediment in the Tarfaya area (mapped as Lower Cretaceous) as being conclusively Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) or older Jurassic/Triassic, with implications for the modelling (Arantegui et al., 2019; Charton et al., 2018). Finally, in the western Anti‐Atlas, recent work by Arantegui (2018) presents new biostratigraphic data that conclusively dates the local redbeds (mapped as Lower Cretaceous) as Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) or older.…”

“…1 Frizon de Lamotte et al (2004); 2 Groune et al (2013); 3 Michard et al (2008); 4 TAN-101 well report; 5 Boleli (1952); 6 Echarfaoui et al (2002); 7 Karroum et al (2014); 8 Hafid et al (2006); 9 Michard et al (2008) after A. Charrière, unpubl. ; 10 Manspeizer et al (1978); 11 Gomez et al (2000); 12 Haddoumi et al (2010); 13 Michard et al (2011);14 Samaka and Bouhaddioui (2003); 15 El Harfi et al (2001);16 Fiechtner et al (1992);17 Hollard et al, (1985);18 Benyoucef et al (2015);19 Zouhri et al (2008);20 Arantegui et al (2019);21 Ranke et al (1982);22 Hill et al (2008);23 Tari and Jabour (2013) …”

Multi-Scale Depositional Successions in Tectonic Settings

“…American Atlantic coast where earlier extensional stages of the breakup are buried under a later more typical passive-margin type sedimentation (e.g., Enachescu, 1992;Arantegui et al, 2019).…”