A 3D Cretaceous palinspastic model from paleomagnetic data in the Central High Atlas (Morocco)

The Central High Atlas is the Moroccan segment of the Atlas System, which is the largest intraplate mountain range in North Africa. The Mesozoic evolution of the High Atlas is related with extensional tectonics, magmatic activity, and salt tectonics. It primarily consists of basins developed during the Triassic and Jurassic that underwent inversion during the Cenozoic. The region exhibits dominant NE-SW and ENE-WSW trending folds, intertwined with smaller-scale oblique or perpendicular folds.

Previous paleomagnetic investigations have revealed that sedimentary Jurassic rocks (both carbonates and red beds) in the Central High Atlas are affected by a Cretaceous regional remagnetization. This interfolding remagnetization, occurred after the syn-sedimentary tectonic extensional stage but before the Cenozoic basin inversion linked to the convergence between the African and European plates. The reference of remagnetization direction has been determined using the Small Circle Intersection (SCI) technique and, by comparing it with the African Aparent Polar Wander Path (APWP), has been dated to approximately 100 million years (Ma), representing a synchronous phenomenon across the entire High Atlas. Once the reference is stablished, paleomagnetic data can be used to calculate the paleobedding of each site at the remagnetization time (i.e. between extension and compressional stages) and to restore the structure at 100 Ma. This procedure allows to quantitatively separate the compressional imprint from the extensional one in the present-day structure.

This work presents a high-resolution paleomagnetic study in the Anemzi syncline area, encompassing 91 sites within the paradigmatic structures of the Central High Atlas, covering an area of 35 km². The Anemzi syncline features a southern limb bounding with a vertical set of Jurassic intrusive bodies and Triassic shales and basalts, while the northern limb exhibits Lower Jurassic carbonates overthrusting northwards Middle Jurassic rocks.

By applying Small Circle analysis to remagnetization directions, 91 paleobeddings corresponding to the age of remagnetization (i.e., 100 Ma) were determined. These paleobeddings were employed to construct seriated geological cross-sections, depicting the structural architecture 100 Ma ago. These cross-sections were then compared with their present-day counterparts. Both series of cross-sections were the base to develop two 3D geological models, showcasing the present-day and restored structures at 100 Ma, integrating both paleomagnetic results and structural data.

Comparisons between palinspastic and present-day cross-sections and 3D models provide insights into the evolution of the Central High Atlas, spanning both the basinal stage and subsequent inversion. This comparative analysis offers valuable clues for understanding the significance of inherited extensional structures (such as normal faults, gabbro intrusion, diapirism, etc.) in the context of compressional structuring.