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Title: Origin of a major cross-element zone: Moroccan Rif

Abstract

Alpine age (Oligocene-Miocene) deformation in the western Mediterranean formed the Rif mountain belt of northern Morocco. A linear east-northeast-west-southwest trend of cross elements from Jebah (Mediterranean coast) to Arbaoua (near the Atlantic coast) extends through several thrust sheets in the western Rif. The cross elements are manifest as a lateral ramp, the northern limit of a large culmination, and they affect syntectonic turbidite sandstone distribution. Gravity anomalies indicate that the cross-element zone is coincident with a transition zone from normal thickness to thinner continental crust. It is suggested that an early Mesozoic strike-slip fault system related to rifting of North America from North Africa caused a strong east-northeast-west-southwest, basement block-fault trend to form on the normal thickness side of the thick-to-thin continental crustal transition zone. This trend later influenced the position of the Alpine age cross-element zone that traverses several different Mesozoic and Tertiary basins, inverted during the Alpine deformation.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Amoco Production Co., Houston, TX (USA)
OSTI Identifier:
5276508
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Geology; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 15:8
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; MOROCCO; MOUNTAINS; GEOLOGIC HISTORY; AGE ESTIMATION; BASEMENT ROCK; CONTINENTAL CRUST; DEFORMATION; GEOLOGIC FAULTS; GRAVITY SURVEYS; SANDSTONES; THICKNESS; AFRICA; DEVELOPING COUNTRIES; DIMENSIONS; EARTH CRUST; GEOLOGIC FRACTURES; GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES; GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS; ROCKS; SEDIMENTARY ROCKS; SURVEYS; 580100* - Geology & Hydrology- (-1989)

Citation Formats

Morley, C K. Origin of a major cross-element zone: Moroccan Rif. United States: N. p., 1987. Web. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<761:OOAMCZ>2.0.CO;2.
Morley, C K. Origin of a major cross-element zone: Moroccan Rif. United States. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<761:OOAMCZ>2.0.CO;2
Morley, C K. 1987. "Origin of a major cross-element zone: Moroccan Rif". United States. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<761:OOAMCZ>2.0.CO;2.
@article{osti_5276508,
title = {Origin of a major cross-element zone: Moroccan Rif},
author = {Morley, C K},
abstractNote = {Alpine age (Oligocene-Miocene) deformation in the western Mediterranean formed the Rif mountain belt of northern Morocco. A linear east-northeast-west-southwest trend of cross elements from Jebah (Mediterranean coast) to Arbaoua (near the Atlantic coast) extends through several thrust sheets in the western Rif. The cross elements are manifest as a lateral ramp, the northern limit of a large culmination, and they affect syntectonic turbidite sandstone distribution. Gravity anomalies indicate that the cross-element zone is coincident with a transition zone from normal thickness to thinner continental crust. It is suggested that an early Mesozoic strike-slip fault system related to rifting of North America from North Africa caused a strong east-northeast-west-southwest, basement block-fault trend to form on the normal thickness side of the thick-to-thin continental crustal transition zone. This trend later influenced the position of the Alpine age cross-element zone that traverses several different Mesozoic and Tertiary basins, inverted during the Alpine deformation.},
doi = {10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<761:OOAMCZ>2.0.CO;2},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5276508}, journal = {Geology; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 15:8,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987},
month = {Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987}
}