Abstract
In the Plio-Quaternary, the central Middle Atlas, considered to be “the country of lakes and volcanoes”, was the seat of alkaline volcanism, located on the Azrou-Timahdite Plateau. The latter is the most recent and largest volcanic field in Morocco. It includes countless volcanic devices over a length of 50 km. These volcanic devices constitute by their form, genesis and representativeness an example of an exceptional volcanic heritage through a varied volcanic range and a typicality of sites unique in Morocco. Of these, height (8) were selected for this study. They include the Cone-Maar (Ouest Hébri), the maars (Lechmine Ait el Haj, Michlifène, Lechmine Bou-Ibalrhatène and Lechmine n’Ikettane) and the cones (Bou-Teguerrouine, El Koudiate and Outgui). The elevations of these geosites range between 1747 and 1905 m with diameters and depths up to 1300 and 110 m respectively. The outcrops of volcanic rocks, in particular pyroclastic products (lapilli, bombs, breccias, etc.), basalts and associated reliefs make them exceptional sites. The different eruptive dynamisms that presided over the construction of these geosites give them an undeniable educational value. These are real natural potentialities whose enhancement through geotourism will contribute to their sustainable management. In this work, valuation strategies for geotourism purposes are proposed for local development.
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Baadi, K., Tefogoum, G.Z., Amine, A. (2023). The Volcanism of the Plio-Quaternary of Azrou-Timahdite Plateau (Central Middle Atlas, Morocco): Potential for Geotourism Development. In: Baadi, K. (eds) Geoheritage of the Middle Atlas (Morocco). Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27073-4_14
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