Fault-controlled barite veins of the eastern Anti-Atlas (Ougnat, Morocco), a far-field effect of the Central Atlantic opening? Structural analysis and metallogenic implications

Metallogeny and Genesis of Fault-Filling Barite-Sulfide Veins (Ougnat, Morocco): Petrography, Fluid Inclusion, and Sr-S Isotopic Constraints

“…It can also take the form of stepped tension fractures set obliquely to the planes of the mineralized faults. Structural data conducted by [18] have shown that the geometry of these structures shows tectonic kinematics of sinistral-normal opening in a brittle-ductile regime along the host faults, revealed at both microscopic and macroscopic scales. The veins are mainly composed of barite, although other minerals such as calcite, quartz, galena, and, in some places, malachite and azurite may be present (Figure 4e-h).…”

“…Three-stage paragenesis has been recognized based on mineralogical, textural, and cross-cutting relationships. Stage I is the most economically important, accounting for over 80% of the total barite resources, e.g., the Tinchraramine mine, with over 760,000 tons of barite stock [18]. The mineral paragenesis consists of barite, quartz, calcite, and very rarely fluorite.…”

“…Barite holds significant value in industries such as aerospace, chemicals, and petroleum, as well as for the production of white goods [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Thanks to its versatility in these fields of However, despite this obvious economic importance, the study of barite deposits genesis in Morocco remains very limited [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Barite deposits are widely distributed over the whole Moroccan territory, hosted in various geological formations of varying nature and age [14,22].…”

“…Field-based structural constraints suggest that the vein-type barite deposits in the High Atlas, Eastern Anti-Atlas, and western Meseta of Morocco, formed in response to an extensional tectonic context related to the Central Atlantic opening [15][16][17][18][19]21,[24][25][26]. These deposits could be genetically correlated to certain barite deposits in central and western Europe [23,[27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

“…Recently, Ref. [18] discussed the genetic relationships between faults and barite veins, describing that the barite of the Ougnat Massif is vein-type, and that mineralization-bearing structures are hosted within NE-SW to E-W and NW-SE strike-slip-normal fault system. In contrast to well-studied European deposits such as those in the Catalonian Coastal Ranges (Spain), Western Erzgebirge (Germany) and Sardinia (Italy) [36][37][38][39][40][41], where mineralogy, fluid chemistry, and emplacement ages are thoroughly documented, the barite deposits in Morocco are relatively understudied from a metallogenic perspective.…”