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Aspects of Western High Atlas tectonics

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The Atlas System of Morocco

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences ((LNEARTH,volume 15))

Abstract

An overview of the structural provinces of Morocco is given, showing the position of the Western High Atlas in its geotectonic context. Recent results are presented concerning the structural development of the Hercynian (Variscan) ancient massif as well as of the Atlassic (Alpine) mountain range of the Western High Atlas.

The paleogeographic setting of the Cambrian, Ordovician and Lower Carboniferous series in the ancient massif shows close relations to the Paleozoic of the Moroccan Meseta. Strong volcanic activity in parts of the massif during the Early Paleozoic points to rifting processes affecting the foreland of the African craton. This stage of the tectonic evolution ended in the Silurian to Devonian. There is little evidence for orogenic processes during the Caledonian era. During the Hercynian (Variscan) orogeny, folding, subsequent thrust faulting, and intrusion of granites were most intense in the central part of the Variscan belt which later formed a relatively stable axis.

Locally, the contact between Triassic and Upper (?) Jurassic strata is developed as an angular unconformity. Lacking of Triassic series in parts of the ancient massif may be a consequence of pre-Upper (?) Jurassic erosion following Early to Middle Jurassic deformation. This hiatus marks the end of the Triassic Atlas Rift stage and the beginning of the Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous Atlas Gulf stage. Local unconformities have also been observed between Senonian and Tertiary series, giving first indications of the uplift and inversion process in the High Atlas mobile belt. The uplift of the present Atlassic mountain range was accommodated mainly by steeply dipping, anti-listric faults. Vertical relative movements clearly predominate over horizontal ones. Different kinematic models for the Atlassic uplift are shortly discussed.

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Author notes

  1. Nikolaus Froitzheim

    Present address: Geologisches Institut, ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092, Zürich

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geologisches Institut der Universität Bonn, Nußallee 8, D 5300, Bonn 1

    Nikolaus Froitzheim, Johannes Stets & Paul Wurster

Authors
  1. Nikolaus Froitzheim
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  2. Johannes Stets
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  3. Paul Wurster
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Volker H. Jacobshagen

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© 1988 Springer-Verlag

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Froitzheim, N., Stets, J., Wurster, P. (1988). Aspects of Western High Atlas tectonics. In: Jacobshagen, V.H. (eds) The Atlas System of Morocco. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, vol 15. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0011595

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0011595

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-19086-8

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