Late Miocene–Early Pliocene paleoenvironmental changes in the western Rifian corridor (NW Morocco)

Biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental analyses were undertaken on the Upper Neogene of the Gharb Basin (NW Morocco) to clarify the biostratigraphic framework of the studied sediments and to provide a new contribution to the reconstruction and evolution of the marine environment during the Upper Mi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental earth sciences 2022-12, Vol.81 (23), Article 528
Main Authors: Rahmouna, Jihad, Barhoun, Nadia, Rachid, Ahmed, Targhi, Soukaina, Bahaj, Hannane, Berry, Naima, Yousfi, Mohamed Zakaria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bathymetry
Benthos
Biogeosciences
Climate variations
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Environmental Science and Engineering
Evolution
Foraminifera
Genera
Geochemistry
Geology
Hydrology/Water Resources
Marine environment
Messinian
Miocene
Neogene
Original Article
Oxygen
Oxygen content
Oxygenation
Paleoecology
Pliocene
Sea level
Sea level changes
Sea level fluctuations
Sea level variations
Sediment
Sedimentary environments
Sediments
Species classification
Statistical analysis
Statistical methods
Tectonics
Terrestrial Pollution
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Summary:Biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental analyses were undertaken on the Upper Neogene of the Gharb Basin (NW Morocco) to clarify the biostratigraphic framework of the studied sediments and to provide a new contribution to the reconstruction and evolution of the marine environment during the Upper Miocene–Pliocene in the western, southern Rifian corridor. High-resolution biostratigraphic analysis based on planktonic foraminifera of the studied sediments allowed to highlight the succession of eight bioevents and to characterize the Upper Tortonian, Messinian and Zanclean. The study of benthic foraminifera, carried out on 112 samples, allowed the identification of 134 species classified in 58 genera. The composition of benthic foraminiferal assemblages, paleoecological indices, and statistical analysis shows an evolution of depositional conditions in terms of bathymetry and oxygen content from the Upper Tortonian to the Pliocene in the regional tectonic context, sea-level fluctuations, and climatic variations during this period. Depositional environments vary from the middle bathyal at the Upper Tortonian to lower neritic, associated with a reduction in oxygenation during the Middle Messinian. The Zanclean, characterized by the transition to the upper bathyal, ends with a decrease in basin depth.
ISSN:1866-6280
1866-6299
DOI:10.1007/s12665-022-10648-7