Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the late-Messinian - Early pliocene continental to marine deposits of the Boudinar basin (North Morocco)

Merzeraud, Gilles; Achalhi, Mohammed; Cornée, Jean‐Jacques; Münch, Philippe; Azdimousa, Ali; Moussa, Abdelkhalak Ben

doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2018.11.002

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…(iii) Lake-level changes: Submerged paleo-shorelines are formed by gradual water-level rise in a transgressive phase and may leave site-specific depositional signatures in the geological record. Often these deposits consist of a fining-upward sequence above an unconformity with an erosional to sharp contact due to a relatively abrupt water-level rise (e.g., Merzeraud et al 2019). Such a transgressional facies pattern is characterized by a change from coastal sediments to coarse clastic nearshore deposits, which are overlain by finegrained deposits.…”

Section: Other Potential Event Deposit Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A tsunamigenic delta collapse and its associated tsunami deposits in and around Lake Sils, Switzerland

et al. 2021

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Large lacustrine mass movements and delta collapses are increasingly being considered as potential tsunamigenic sources and therefore hazardous for the population and infrastructure along lakeshores. Although historical reports document tsunami events in several lakes in Switzerland, and although the propagation of lake tsunamis has been studied by numerical wave modeling, only little is known about on- and offshore lacustrine tsunami deposits. In Lake Sils, Switzerland, a large prehistoric mass-movement deposit originating from the Isola Delta with a minimum estimated volume of 6.5 × 106 m3 and a basinal thickness of > 6 m in the seismic record has been identified by previous studies and radiocarbon dated to around 700 Common Era. Here, we combine (i) comprehensive sedimentological investigation of sediment cores recovered from the on- and offshore settings, (ii) mineralogical fingerprinting of the inflows from key catchments to characterize sediment provenance, and (iii) numerical tsunami modeling, to test the hypothesis of a tsunamigenic delta collapse in Lake Sils. We observe a clastic event deposit consisting of coarse-grained, fining-upward sand overlying an organic-rich peat deposit in the shallow water. This layer thins and fines landward on the coastal plain. Toward the deeper water (20–40 m), the deposit transforms into a thicker and more heterogeneous sediment package with multiple sequences of fining-upward sand and a well-pronounced clay cap at the top. Radiocarbon dating of the peat underlying the event deposit yields a maximum age of 225–419 calibrated Common Era. The tsunami models, which indicate wave heights reaching up to 5 m, simulate areas of inundation that coincide with the location of event deposits. Based on our results, we propose that the historically undocumented Isola Delta collapse generated a basin-wide tsunami that inundated the lakeshore, transporting large amounts of unconsolidated sediment along the lakeshore toward the coastal plain and into the deeper lake basin.

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Section: Other Potential Event Deposit Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A tsunamigenic delta collapse and its associated tsunami deposits in and around Lake Sils, Switzerland

et al. 2021

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“…The Northern provinces of Morocco are amongst the most active in terms of seismic and tectonic activity, with moderate rates of deformation estimated around 2 to 4 mm/yr (Vernant et The latest tectonic phase that sculpted the morphology of the northern Rif is dated to the upper Burdigalien since no later sedimentation was reported in the area during the rest of the Miocene age (Feinberg et al 1990). Neogene sedimentation resumed in the Pliocene era with shallow marine and then deep marine sedimentation in the peripheral paleoria basins of the Alboran Sea (Guerrera et al 1993 Merzeraud et al 2019). The Quaternary cover of these basins is exclusively continental with thick alluvial deposits (Fig.…”

Section: Geological and Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismic site-effects assessment in a fluvial sedimentary environment: case of Oued Martil floodplain, Northern Morocco

Hilali

Bounab

Timoulali

et al. 2022

Preprint

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In Northern Morocco, seismic site effects in general and liquefaction hazard in particular can occur in the event of a major earthquake due to the thick sedimentary cover characterizing the peripheral Neogene basins of the Alboran Sea. An example is Martil Plain which was the subject of important economic development during the last two decades. In this regard, we present in this study as assessment of seismic site-effect hazard through the HVSR method and the Kg index. MASW and coredrilling data are also used to complete our analysis and interpret the spatial distribution of Kg maps. Our findings suggest more vulnerability to liquefaction in the Southern segment of the basin, which can be explained by the asymmetrical geometry of Quaternary sedimentation, due to tectonic uplift that influences also the surface and subsurface hydrology processes. As a result, some districts, especially those classified as economically disadvantaged, are found to be the most exposed to this hazard, which must be taken into consideration in future risk reduction and mitigation plans. We conclude the existence of significant seismic effects potential despite the moderate seismicity of the area. Therefore, our research needs to be completed by scenario based seismic hazard modelling to investigate the capacity of seismic events at the region to produce the above suggested amplifications.

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“…Roveri et al (2008) and Manzi et al (2013) proposed that marginal evaporites were reworked during the exposure and resedimented in the deep Mediterranean domain prior to the deposition of a massive halite unit. However, the configuration of the Mediterranean Basin and the amplitude of the final drawdown is still debated as some authors consider a limited amplitude of the base-level drop (Hardie and Lowenstein, 2004;Lugli et al, 2015;Cornée et al, 2016) and sporadic to permanent connections with the Atlantic domain (Krijgsman and Meijer, 2008;Stefano et al, 2010;Merzeraud et al, 2019) while other propose a sea-level drop of several hundred to more than one thousand m (Hsü, 1973;Lofi et al, 2005;Urgeles et al, 2011;Madof et al, 2019). The lack of deep incisions in the Lorca Basin is more in accordance with a limited drawdown.…”

Section: The Lorca Basin In the Western Mediterranean Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several authors subdivided deep and marginal evaporites in lower and upper units (e.g., Butler et al, 1995;Rouchy and Caruso, 2006;Roveri et al, 2008Roveri et al, , 2014aRyan, 2009;Manzi et al, 2013). Nevertheless, the relative timing of evaporite units in marginal basins compared with evaporites of the central Mediterranean Sea is intensely debated (e.g., Clauzon et al, 1996;Riding et al, 1998;Martin et al, 1999;Rouchy and Caruso, 2006;Roveri et al, 2008Roveri et al, , 2014aOrszag-Sperber et al, 2009;Cornée et al, 2016;Karakitsios et al, 2017;Merzeraud et al, 2019). Indeed, some authors consider that marginal evaporites were deposited before the main relative sea-level drop, which led to the deposition of central Mediterranean evaporites (Clauzon et al, 1996;Lugli et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ages and stratigraphical architecture of late Miocene deposits in the Lorca Basin (Betics, SE Spain): New insights for the salinity crisis in marginal basins

Carpentier

Vennin

Rouchy³

et al. 2020

Sedimentary Geology

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Unlike most Neogene basins of the Betic Cordillera where the Salinity Crisis is dated to the Messinian, a contradictory Tortonian dating was proposed for evaporites of the Lorca Basin. As a consequence, complex structural models have been proposed in the literature to explain this discrepancy in the timing of evaporites. In order to integrate the Lorca Basin into the geological context of the western Mediterranean domain during the Late Miocene, new sedimentological and stratigraphical studies coupled with new dating were performed, which allow us to propose a Messinian age for both diatomite-bearing deposits and evaporites of the Lorca Basin. These new ages challenge the idea of a Tortonian salinity crisis in the Lorca Basin. Three main events of base-level drop were evidenced during the Messinian. Each event is correlated with successive steps of basin restriction. Shallow salina evaporites were deposited after a base-level fall during the Messinian before a final base-level drop, which led to the entire exposure of the basin. This last exposure is interpreted as coeval with the deposition of first evaporites and halite in the deep Mediterranean basins. The reflooding which allowed the deposition of brackish deposits and a short-lived marine incursion occurred at the end of the Messinian. Base-level drops occurred during eustatic falls amplified by the gradual uplift of the Betic Cordillera. The exhumation of the Tercia ridge along the strike-slip Alhama de Murcia fault system during the Messinian probably favoured the gradual restriction of the basin. A discussion on correlations of main unconformities between several Neogene basins of the Betics is proposed, suggesting a similar structural evolution at the regional scale.

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Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the late-Messinian - Early pliocene continental to marine deposits of the Boudinar basin (North Morocco)

Cited by 13 publications

References 78 publications

A tsunamigenic delta collapse and its associated tsunami deposits in and around Lake Sils, Switzerland

A tsunamigenic delta collapse and its associated tsunami deposits in and around Lake Sils, Switzerland

Seismic site-effects assessment in a fluvial sedimentary environment: case of Oued Martil floodplain, Northern Morocco

Ages and stratigraphical architecture of late Miocene deposits in the Lorca Basin (Betics, SE Spain): New insights for the salinity crisis in marginal basins

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