Stress and strain patterns related to the inversion of the High Atlas aborted rift

The Moroccan High Atlas is an Alpine fold belt formed by the structural inversion of Mesozoic rift basins during the Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic. The involvement of mantle-related thermal mechanisms is anticipated to account for the anomalously elevated orogen and surrounding plateaus and basins. In the range’s Western portion, the Marrakech High Atlas displays the most pronounced basement exposure at the range scale. Recent studies highlighted the role of thick-skinned tectonics thrusting and folding during the basin inversion. Although several works brought considerable insights into the actual understanding of the High Atlas structural evolution, there is still an ambiguity regarding the kinematics, paleostresses, and tectonic regime associated with the basin inversion. In the present work, we examine the paleostresses history of the High Atlas fold belt through analyses of mesostructures i.e. striated faults planes, micro-shear fractures/veins, tensile fractures/veins, stylolites and mesoscale folds, in the northern and southern borders of the Marrakech High Atlas. The aim of this work is to illustrate the tectonic complexity of orgenic belts developed in an intracontinental setting far from the plates’ collision boundaries.