A historical overview of Moroccan magmatic events along northwest edge of the West African Craton

摘要: Abstract Located along the northwestern edge of West African Craton, Morocco exhibits a wide variety magmatic events from Archean to Quaternary. The oldest rocks belong Reguibat Shield outcrops in Moroccan Sahara. Paleoproterozoic magmatism, known as Anti-Atlas granitoids, is related Eburnean orogeny and initial cratonization WAC. Mesoproterozoic magmatism represented by small number mafic dykes henceforth Taghdout volcanism. Massive Neoproterozoic activity, Pan-African cycle, consists rift-related Tonian associated with Rodinia breakup, an Early Cryogenian convergent margin event (760–700 Ma), syn-collisional Bou-Azzer (680–640 Ma), followed widespread Ediacaran (620–555 Ma). Each episode corresponded different geodynamic environment produced types magma. Phanerozoic began Cambrian basaltic (rift?) volcanism, which persisted during Middle Cambrian, into Ordovician. This was succeeded massive Late Devonian Carboniferous, pre-Variscan tholeiitic calc-alkaline (Central Morocco) volcanic flows basins Meseta. North Atlas Paleozoic Transform Zone, Carboniferous Variscan accompanied emplacement 330–300 Ma granitoids upper crustal shear zones. Post-Variscan alkaline opening Permian basins. Mesozoic huge volumes magma emplaced around 200 Ma Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) fragmentation Pangea subsequent rifting Atlantic. CAMP volcanism occurs all structural domains Morocco, External Rif domain peak activity 199 Ma. A second lava gabbroic intrusions Internal Maghrebian flysch nappes well external Mesorif. Middle-Upper Jurassic MORB tholeiites Alpine Tethys ocean. High also records Cretaceous alpine aborted rift, or perhaps linked plume on Cenozoic Tertiary Quaternary circum-Mediterranean provinces, characterized intermittent over 50 Ma Mountain SW–NE lineament underlines thinned continental lithosphere.