Skip to main content
Log in

Tectonic control on the morphology of the subcircular structure of El Mdaouar (Saharan Atlas, Algeria): insights from geological and remote sensing data

Arabian Journal of Geosciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

El Mdaouar subcircular structure is located in the eastern Saharan Atlas (Algeria) at 35° 05′ N and 4° 19′ 30″ E, about 20 km southwest of the town of Bou Saada. Its diameter is about 3.2 km and shows a raised rim that stands high above the surrounding terrain. We have carried out a combining remote sensing (Landsat 8 OLI image and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data) and geological field investigation of the El Mdaouar subcircular structure in order to study its morphology and to determine its origin. In the absence of evidence of magmatism, diapirism, and impact on this structure, a tectonic deformation is the most likely in the origin of this subcircular feature. The counterclockwise rotational motion of the layers explains the morphology of the structure. This rotational motion is probably the result of a combination of the movement of the faults which pass through the structure, in particular two NE-SW strike-slip faults and a NW-SE fault, which marks the eastern limit of the El Mdaouar structure. The NE-SW trending of the structure indicates a NW-SE compressional event, which corresponds to that of the Atlasic phase. This event occurred in the Late Eocene (35 Ma), which is the best estimation of the age of the El Mdaouar structure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

References

  • Aydal D, Arda E, Dumanliar Ö (2007) Application of the Crosta technique for alteration mapping of granitoidic rocks using ETM+ data: case study from eastern Tauride belt (SE Turkey). Int J Remote Sens 28:3895–3913

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benaouali-Mebarek N, Frizon de Lamotte D, Roca E, Bracène R, Faure JL, Sassi W, Roure F (2006) Post-Cretaceous kinematics of the Atlas and Tell systems in Central Algeria: early foreland folding and subduction-related deformation. C R Geoscience 338:115–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bracène R, Frizon de Lamotte D (2002) The origin of intraplate deformation in the Atlas system of western and Central Algeria: from Jurassic rifting to Cenozoic–Quaternary inversion. Tectonophysics 357:207–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bracène R, Bellahcene A, Bekkouche D, Mercier E, Frizon de Lamotte D (1998) The thin-skinned style of the South Atlas Front in Central Algeria. In: Macgregor DS, Moody RTJ, Clark-Lowes DD (eds) Petroleum geology of North Africa, pp. 391–400 Geological Society Special Publication 133: 395–404

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown DJ, Shepherd KD, Walsh MG, Mays MD, Reinsch TG (2006) Global soil characterization with VNIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Geoderma 132:273–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cailleux A (1974) Mesure simple de l’albédo en géographie. In: Annales de Géographie. 1974, t. 83, n°459, pp 569–585. Doi: 10.3406/geo.1974.19632. http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/geo_0003-4010_1974_num_83_459_19632

  • Chabou MC, Laghouag MY (2014) On the origin of the Aflou structure (Algeria). 77th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, September 7–12, 2014, Casablanca, Morocco. LPI Contribution No. 1800, id. 5368.

  • Cigolini C, Di Martino M, Laiolo M, Coppola D, Rossetti P, Morelli M (2012) Endogenous and non impact origin of the Arkenu circular structures (al-Kufrah basin-SE Libya). Meteorit Planet Sci 47(11):1772–1788

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper GRJ (2003) Feature detection using sunshading. Comput Geosci 29:941–948

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deffontaines B, Chorowicz J (1991) Principles of drainage basin analysis from multisource data: application to the structural analysis of the Zaire Basin. Tectonophysics 194:237–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emberger J (1960) Esquisse géologique de la partie orientale des monts des Ouled Nail (Atlas saharien, Algérie). Bulletin du Service de la Carte Géologique de l’Algérie 27, (pp 363).

  • Escadafal R (1994) Soil spectral properties and their relationships with environmental parameters—examples from arid regions: imaging spectrometry—a tool for environmental observations, 4: 71–87.

  • Farr TG, Rosen PA, Caro E, Crippen R, Duren R, Hensley S, Kobrick M, Paller M, Rodriguez E, Roth L, Seal D, Shaffer S, Shimada J, Umland J, Werner M, Oskin M, Burbank D, Alsdorf D (2007) The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Reviews of Geophysics, 45. doi: 1029/2005RG00O183.

  • Frizon de Lamotte D (2005) About the Cenozoic inversion of the Atlas domain in North Africa. C. R. Geoscience 337:475–476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frizon de Lamotte D, Leturmy P, Missenard Y, Khomsi S, Ruiz G, Saddiqi O, Guillocheau F, Michard A (2009) Mesozoic and Cenozoic vertical movements in the Atlas system (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia): an overview. Tectonophysics 475:9–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frizon de Lamotte D, Saint Bézar B, Bracène R, Mercier E (2000) The two main steps of the Atlas building and geodynamics of the western Mediterranean. Tectonics 19:740–761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gavrilov AA (2012) Circular geomorphologic and geological features in the Japanese islands. J Volcanol Seismol 6(1):15–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant JA (1999) Evaluating the evolution of process specific degradation signatures around impact craters. International Journal of Impact Engineering 23:331–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant JA, Schultz PH (1993) Degradation of selected terrestrial and Martian impact crater. J Geophys Res 98:11025–11042

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greeley R (1994) Planetary landscapes, 2nd Ed. New York: Chapman and Hall (pp 286).

  • Gregory KJ (1966) Dry valleys and the composition of the drainage net. J Hydrol 4:327–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guild PW (1983) Tectonics and metallogenic provinces. Adv Space Res 3(2):9–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guiraud R (1989) L’évolution post-triasique de l’avant-pays de la chaîne alpine en Algérie, d’après l’étude du bassin du Hodna et des régions voisines. Publication de l’Office Nationale de Géologie, Algérie 3, (pp 259).

  • Haddoum H (2009) Les structures hercyniennes dans la couverture sédimentaire paléozoïque de l’Ahnet Occidental et de Bled El Mass (N.O. Hoggar, Algérie): une conséquence du rejeu des failles panafricaines. Bulletin du Service Géologique National 20:221–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Horn BKP (1982) Hill shading and the reflectance map. Geo-Processing 2:65–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard AD (1967) Drainage analysis in geological interpretation: a summation. Am Assoc Petrol Geol Bull 51:2246–2259

    Google Scholar 

  • Irons JR, Dwyer JL, Barsi JA (2012) The next Landsat satellite: the Landsat Data Continuity Mission. Remote Sens Environ 122:11–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson MPA, Talbot CJ (1986) External shapes, strain rates, and dynamics of salt structures. Geol Soc Am Bull 97:305–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert P, McHone JF, Dietz RS, Houfani M (1980) Impact and impact-like structures in Algeria, part I, four bowl-shaped depressions. Meteoritics 15:157–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster N, Helm K (2000) A test of a climatic index of dune mobility using measurements from the southwestern United States. Earth Surf Proc Landf 25:197–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loughlin WP (1991) Principal component analysis for alteration mapping. Photogramm Eng Remote Sens 57:1163–1169

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks P, Van Enk R, Groen C (1971) Sur l’origine météoritique probable de l’accident cratériforme près d’Aflou (Sud algérien). Verhandelingen der Koinklijke Akademie von Wetenschappente Amsterdam, ser. B 75:348–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Matton G, Jebrak M (2014) The “eye of Africa” (Richat dome, Mauritania): an isolated cretaceous alkaline-hydrothermal complex. J Afr Earth Sci 97:109–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matton G, Jebrak M, Lee JKW (2005) Resolving the Richat enigma: doming and hydrothermal karstification above an alkaline complex. Geology 33(8):665–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moran MS, Bryant R, Thome K, Ni W, Nouvellon Y, Gonzalez-Dugo MP, Qi J, Clarke TR (2001) A refined empirical line approach for reflectance factor retrieval from Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-7 ETM+. Remote Sens Environ 78:71–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreau J, Ghienne JF, Hurst A (2012) Kilometre-scale sand injectites in the intracratonic Murzuq Basin (South-west Libya): an igneous trigger? Sedimentology 59(4):1321–1344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morisawa ME (1957) Accuracy of determination of stream lengths from topographic maps. Trans Am Ceophys Union 38(1):86–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nutz A, Ghienne JF, Storch P (2013) Circular, cryogenic structures from the Hirnantian deglaciation sequence (Anti-Atlas, Morocco). J Sediment Res 83:115–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omran A, Dietrich S, Abouelmagd A, Michael M (2016) New ArcGIS tools developed for stream network extraction and basin delineations using python and java script. Comput Geosci 94:140–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Outtani F, Addoum B, Mercier E, Frizon de Lamotte D, Andrieux J (1995) Geometry and kinematics of the South Atlas Front, Algeria and Tunisia. Tectonophysics 249:233–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piqué A, Tricart P, Guiraud R, Laville E, Bouaziz S, Amrhar M, Ait Ouali R (2002) The Mesozoic-Cenozoic Atlas belt (North Africa): an overview. Geodin Acta 15(3):185–208

    Google Scholar 

  • Rabus B, Eineder M, Roth A, Bamler R (2003) The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission—a new class of digital elevation models acquired by spaceborne radar. ISPRS J Photogramm Remote Sens 57(4):241–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reimold WU, Koeberl C (2014) Impact structures in Africa: a review. J Afr Earth Sci 93:57–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roy DP, Wulder MA, Loveland TR, Woodcock CE, Allen RG, Anderson MC, Helder D, Irons JR, Johnson DM, Kennedy R, Scambos TA, Schaaf CB, Schott JR, Sheng Y, Vermote EF, Belward AS, Bindschadler R, Cohen WB, Gao F, Hipple JD, Hostert P, Huntington J, Justice CO, Kilic A, Kovalskyy V, Lee ZP, Lymburner L, Masek JG, McCorkel J, Shuai Y, Trezza R, Vogelmann J, Wynne RH, Zhu Z (2014) Landsat-8: science and product vision for terrestrial global change research. Remote Sens Environ 145:154–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmeider M, Seyfried H, Gerel O (2013) The circular Uneged Uul structure (East Gobi Basin, Mongolia)—geomorphic and structural evidence for meteorite impact into an unconsolidated coarse-clastic target. J Asian Earth Sci 64:58–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh A, Harrison A (1985) Standardized principal components. Int J Remote Sens 6:883–896

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart SA (2003) How will we recognize buried impact craters in terrestrial sedimentary basins? Geology 31:929–932

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strahler AN (1957) Quantitative analysis of water-shed geomorphology. Trans Am Geophys Union 38:913–920

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe R, Nishihama M, Fleig A, Kuyper J, Roy D, Storey J, Patt F (2002) Achieving sub-pixel geolocation accuracy in support of MODIS land science. Remote Sens Environ 83:31–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Youssef AM, El-Kaliouby HM, Zabramawi YA (2012) Integration of remote sensing and electrical resistivity methods in sinkhole investigation in Saudi Arabia. J Appl Geophys 87:28–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Editor-in-Chief Abdullah M. Al-Amri, Associate Editor Dominique Frizon de Lamotte, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful and constructive comments that greatly contributed to improving the final version of the original manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohamed Hassani.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hassani, M., Chabou, M.C., Haddoum, H. et al. Tectonic control on the morphology of the subcircular structure of El Mdaouar (Saharan Atlas, Algeria): insights from geological and remote sensing data. Arab J Geosci 9, 632 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2659-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-016-2659-4

Keywords

Navigation