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PALEONTOLOGICAL PROSPECTING OF THE MAASTRICHTIAN/PALEOGENE

SERIES IN THE OUDIKSOU SYNCLINE (MIDDLE ATLAS, MOROCCO):
PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR MARINE AND TERRESTRIAL FOSSIL RECORDS

Poster · November 2023

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Abdessamad Amelieh Rodolphe Tabuce

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 Paleontological Prospecting of the Maastrichtian/Paleogene Series in the Oudiksou Syncline
(Middle Atlas, Morocco): Preliminary Results for Marine and Terrestrial Fossil Records

A. AMELIEH1, 2, R. TABUCE2, M. OUKASSOU1, G. GUINOT2, O. ZAFATY1, H. SI MHAMDI3, J. YANS4, A. CHARRIÈRE5

1 Hassan II University of Casablanca, Laboratory of Applied Geology, Geoinformatics and Environment, Faculty of Sciences Ben M'sick, Morocco.
2 Montpellier University, Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution, UMR5554, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France.
3 Moulay Ismail University of Meknes, Laboratory of Applied Geology, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Errachidia, Morocco.
4 Namur University, Institute of Life, Earth and Environment (ILEE), Department of Geology, Namur, Belgium.
5 Toulouse III University, 13 Terrasses de la Figuière, 30140 Anduze, France.
ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION
During its long history, our planet has undergone significant environmental stress, often related to major climatic changes. Looking back into the geological past is therefore crucial to understanding
current and future climatic, environmental and biotic changes. Within this framework, the period extending from the Late Cretaceous (~83 Ma) to the end of the Early Eocene (~48 Ma) is of great
importance, as it includes two major events: the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) crisis at approximately 66 Ma (MacLeod, 2012) and the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum at approximately 56 Ma
(Gingerich, 2006). Both events, whose causes are still discussed, have significantly changed the environments and induced deep faunal and floristic turnover in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It
should be noted that these biotic changes occurring during the Cretaceous/Paleogene transition and their corresponding environments are essentially documented and studied on the basis data
obtained from the Laurasian continents, our knowledge of these events is still very patchy in Africa. Fortunately, the Middle Atlas area of Morocco offers high potential for understanding this issue.

GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUD MATERIALS AND METHODS

Elongated NE-SW, the Moroccan Middle Atlas is an intracontinental belt. It is subdivided into two major Two fieldtrips were conducted in September 2023, applying standard paleontological
structural units separated by the Northern Middle Atlas Fault Zone (NMAFZ): the tabular Middle Atlas, and sedimentological field methods. Several lithostratigraphic sections of the
and the folded Middle Atlas. The tabular Middle Atlas is generally characterized by sub-horizontal Maastrichtian/Paleogene series were carried out in the northern, south-western and
Jurassic limestone rocks, a large part of which is covered by Neogene and Quaternary volcanic rocks. south-eastern sectors of the Oudiksou syncline (Middle Atlas). A total of 98 rocks were
The folded Middle Atlas is a mountainous region where the Meso-Cenozoic series are developed up to sampled: 51 from the Achlouj 2 section and 47 from the SAF section only for the
the Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits. The studied area is located in the Folded Middle Atlas south of palynogical study and chemostratigraphic analysis. Samples from other sections will be
Boulemane (Oudiksou syncline) and is composed of a Cretaceous-Paleogene series unconformably processed using diluted (10%) acetic acid and diluted (3%) hydrogen peroxide for the
deposited on a folded Jurassic substratum. search of microvertebrates and charophyta.

(A) Geographical map of Morocco. (B) Simplified structural map of the central Middle Atlas.
Geological map of the Boulemane area in the Middle Atlas (after Zafaty et al., 2023). Black stars : study sections.
NMAFZ : Northern Middle Atlas Fault Zone ; MAFZ : Middle Atlas Fault Zone ; SMAFZ : Southern Middle Atlas Fault Zone Integrating fieldwork and laboratory investigative techniques for collecting fossil remains.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Vertebrate remains from Maastrichtian marine deposits (El Koubbat Fm, ACH 1B & ACH 2 sections)

Cretolamna maroccana Rhombodus binkhorsti Squalicorax pristodontus Squalicorax pristodontus

labial view basilar view lingual view labial view

Teeth

Chelonia indet. Mosasaurid mandibule Mosasaurid bones Possible mosasaurid

cranial remains

Vertebrate remains from Maastrichtian continental deposits (Irbzer Fm, ACH 2 section)

Theropoda indet. Crocodilia indet. Mammalia indet. Mammalia indet.

Sections carried in the south-western, south-eastern and northern sectors of the Oudiksou syncline (Middle Atlas).

Vertebrate remains from Lower Paleocene deposits (Irbzer Fm, SAF section) Vertebrate remains from Paleocene/Eocene deposits (Bekrit Timahdite Fm, SAF section)

Orectolobiformes indet. Dasyatidae indet. Crocodilia indet. Todralestes sp.

Dyrosauridae indet. Dyrosauridae indet. Pycnodontiformes indet. lingual view labial view lingual view

CONCLUSION REFERENCES

In addition to the previous studies in this syncline (Tabuce, 2002; Colin & Tabuce, 2004; Vianey-liaud et al., 2003; Mebrouk & al., 2009), these preliminary
paleontological insights, combined with chemostratigraphic analysis (work in progress), will enable us to track biotic turnovers and hyperthermal
events and reconstruct the paleoenvironments with their lateral distribution and chronological succession across the Cretaceous-Paleogene and
Paleocene-Eocene transitions.
This project has been funded by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), the Ministry of Higher Education, Research (MESR) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation (MESRSI), under the framework of the Franco-Moroccan bilateral program PHC TOUBKAL 2023, with Grant number:12345AB.
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