A palynological investigation of a section dated by foraminifera, at Ouled Haddou, south-eastern Rifian Corridor, northern Morocco, revealed a rich and well-preserved dinoflagellate cyst assemblage that allowed a palynological separation of Maastrichtian from Danian deposits. The gradual change of the dinoflagellate cyst assemblages and the biostratigraphic resolution attained, suggest that the studied Maastrichtian-Danian section is continuous. The recognition of the latest Maastrichtian and earliest Danian is based on global dinoflagellate cyst events, including the first occurrence of the latest Maastrichtian species Disphaerogena carposphaeropsis, Glaphyrocysta perforata, and Manumiella seelandica, the latest Maastrichtian acme of Manumiella seelandica, and the first occurrence of the earliest Danian markers Carpatella cornuta, Damassadinium californicum, Eisenackia circumtabulata, Membranilarnacia tenella and Senoniasphaera inornata. The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary is placed above the latest Maastrichtian events, mainly immediately above the acme of M. seelandica and below the earliest Danian events, particularly below the first occurrences of C. cornuta and D. californicum. The biostratigraphic interpretations are based on a comparison with calibrated dinoflagellate cyst ranges from several reference sections, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere middle latitudes. The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary is not marked by a mass extinction of dinoflagellate cyst species, but shows important changes in the relative abundances of different species or groups of morphologically related species. These changes are paleoenvironmentally controlled. The peridinioid assemblage suggests deposition in a subtropical to warm temperate province. One dinoflagellate cyst species, Phelodinium elongatum, is formally described.

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Seven new dinoflagellate cyst species and subspecies, previously figured under open nomenclature, from Maastrichtian and Danian deposits of Ouled Haddou (eastern external Rif Chain) in northern Morocco are formally described, and their stratigraphic ranges are clarified. Conosphaeridium lifum sp.nov. and Kenleyia chabaka sp.nov. have fibrous and reticulate wall surfaces, respectively. Oligosphaeridium saghirum sp.nov. is a small cyst with funnel-shaped distal process extremities. Spiniferella cornuta subsp. kacira subsp. nov. and Fibrocysta brevispinosa sp. nov. are distinguishable by their very short processes. Riculacysta chaouka sp. nov. is characterized by its perforate spinose ectophragm. Andalusiella bacita sp. nov. is a small and spindle-shaped cyst with only a single antapical horn

The material studied in this work comes from excavations of five hydraulic soundings in the localities of Fresco and Grand-Lahou located in the Southwest in the "onshore" part of the Ivorian sedimentary basin. These surveys are part of the national program for drinking water supply from aquifers. The lithological and sedimentological analyzes of the cuttings of these holes are carried out in order to identify the different lithological units crossed, to understand the sedimentary processes that have prevailed during the deposition of these sediments and to better characterize the

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In the prerifian zone (Northern Morocco), the biostratigraphic study of planktonic microfossils indicates that the Eocene/Oligocene boundary is located at the extinction level of the two planktonic Fora-minifers genera : Hantkenina and Cribrohantkenina These extinctions are announced by the slightly earlier disappearences of the genera Globigerinatheka and of the most evoluted sub-species of the T urborotalia cerroazulensis phylum. From the point of view of calcareous nanno-fossils, the extinction of the "rosette"-shaped discoasters occurs clearly before the Eocene/Oligocene boundary as indicated by the planktonic Foraminifers. Hantkenina and Cribrohantkenina extinction occurs between the Isthmolithus recurvus Acme and the Ericsonia subdisticha Acme.