2025-11-01 EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS 2025 270(卷), null(期), (null页)
The development of Upper Carboniferous to Permian basins in Morocco marks a key transitional phase between the waning Variscan orogeny and the onset of Alpine tectonics, offering critical insights into the configuration of Pangea. This study synthesizes sedimentological, tectonic, magmatic, and biostratigraphic data to refine the tectono-sedimentary and paleoclimatic evolution of these basins across the Western Meseta and the Paleozoic massif of the High Atlas. Traditionally considered products of a single tectono-sedimentary event, three diachronous depositional cycles are now recognized. Cycle 1 (Upper Carboniferous) corresponds to the final stages of Variscan or pre-alpine phases deformation and is preserved in basins such as Sidi Kassem, Senhaja, and Oued Zat. It is characterized by grayish alluvial-fluvial deposits with thin coal seams rich in hydrophilic plants and the dominance of synapsid tracks, indicating humid conditions and strong faunal ties to Euramerica. Cycle 2 (Early Permian) developed during a pre-alpine transtensional phase with calc-alkaline magmatism. It features reddish fluvial-volcanic successions in basins like Khe