The zircon evidence of temporally changing sediment transport—the NW Gondwana margin during Cambrian to Devonian time (Aoucert and Smara areas, Moroccan Sahara)

Detrital zircon U–Pb provenance and palaeogeography of Triassic rift basins in the Marrakech High Atlas

“…The relative abundance of detrital zircon grain ages >2.73 Ga, associated with the Palaeoarchean–Leonian and Liberian orogenic cycles, is noteworthy (Figure ). This component is present in very limited quantities in Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic deposits of the Anti‐Atlas, Tindouf and Reguibat shield sedimentary cover (Abati et al., ; Avigad et al., ; Gärtner et al., ), but it constitutes ~14% of the total amount of detrital zircon ages in the MHA Triassic deposits. Therefore, input from Anti‐Atlas or Tindouf Palaeozoic strata alone seems implausible and argues for an additional source for >2.73 Ga zircon grains, such as the Reguibat Shield, located >800 km to the south of the Tizi n'Test basin (Figure ).…”

“…Detrital zircon U–Pb data available for Cambrian to Devonian strata of the Anti‐Atlas, Tindouf basin and Reguibat shield cover (Avigad, Gerdes, Morag, & Bechstädt, ; Gärtner et al., ) indicate a source area similar to that of the Neoproterozoic strata, with abundant detrital zircon ages related to the Pan‐African and Eburnean orogenic cycles and only very limited zircon grains related to the 2.73–2.20 Ga tectono‐thermal event and the Kibaran–Grenvillian orogenic cycle and >2.73 Ga zircon grains. To the north, detrital zircon U–Pb data from Cambrian sedimentary rocks of the Moroccan Meseta show a dominant Pan‐African signal with limited to absent age components related to other orogenic cycles (Letsch, Houicha, Quadt, & Winkler, ).…”

Detrital zircon U-Pb ages in the Rif Belt (northern Morocco): Paleogeographic implications

“…13). It is also present in the northern components of the West African Craton: Anti-Atlas, Ediacaran sedimentary cover of the Reguibat Shield, Mauritanides, and the western margin of the Taoudeni Basin (see Gärtner et al, 2017 and references therein) (Fig. 13).…”

Morphology of Detrital Zircon as a Fingerprint to Trace Sediment Provenance: Case Study of the Yangtze Delta

“…The decrease in zircon elongation and improvement of its roundness in the Quaternary strata implied that the Yangtze Delta received sediments of different provenance that originated from the Middle-Upper Yangtze basin due to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Statistical analysis of detrital zircon morphology has proven useful for studying the source-to-sink of sediments.Minerals 2019, 9, 438 2 of 15 intuitively determine zircon parent rocks and are potential fingerprints to be applied in sediment provenance analysis [13][14][15][16][17].Serving as an important depocenter of the Eastern China, the Yangtze Delta has preserved valuable information on sediment sources related to landform and river evolution [5,18,19]. Using different methods of clay mineral analysis, geochemistry, magnetic properties, single mineral geochronology (zircon, monazite age spectra), previous studies have identified a significant change in sediment provenance at the Pliocene-Quaternary transition [20][21][22][23].…”

“…Minerals 2019, 9, 438 2 of 15 intuitively determine zircon parent rocks and are potential fingerprints to be applied in sediment provenance analysis [13][14][15][16][17].…”