THE QUATERNARY FLUVIO-LACUSTRINE TIDDAS SEPTENTRIONAL - IAEME Publication
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET)
Volume 12, Issue 1, January 2021, pp. 687-695, Article ID: IJARET_12_01_061
Available online at http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJARET?Volume=12&Issue=1
Journal Impact Factor (2020): 10.9475 (Calculated by GISI) www.jifactor.com
ISSN Print: 0976-6480 and ISSN Online: 0976-6499
DOI: 10.34218/IJARET.12.1.2021.061
© IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed
THE QUATERNARY FLUVIO-LACUSTRINE
FORMATIONS OF TIDDAS (SEPTENTRIONAL
BORDER OF CENTRAL MOROCCO)
SEDIMENTOLOGY, PALEOENVIRONEMNT AND
CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC PRECISION
Naim Hafida*
Ibn Tofail University, Laboratory of Geosciences, Kenitra, Morocco
Aberkan M'hamed
Mohammed V University, Geology department, Faculty of Science, Rabat, Morocco.
Amani Fethi
National Institute of Sciences of Archaeology and heritage, Rabat, Morocco
Chakiri Said
Ibn Tofail University, Laboratory of Geosciences, Kenitra, Morocco
Allouza Mohamed
Ibn Tofail University, Laboratory of Geosciences, Kenitra, Morocco
Bejjaji Zohra
Ibn Tofail University, Laboratory of Geosciences, Kenitra, Morocco
Sadiki Mohammed
Ibn Tofail University, Laboratory of Geosciences, Kenitra, Morocco
Redouani Asmaa
Ibn Tofail University, Laboratory of Geosciences, Kenitra, Morocco
El Hmidi Fatima
*Ibn Tofail University, Laboratory of Geosciences, Kenitra, Morocco
*Corresponding Author
ABSTRACT
Quaternary continental formations identified at about twenty km southwest of
Tiddas (Province of Khemisset, central Morocco) on the left bank of Bou Regreg River,
consist of the Hançala, the Zwirga, the Bir Dallah and the Bir Oughioul Formations.
The present work consists of a sedimentological study of this later Formation which is
found to have been deposited in fluvio-lacustrine environments and of being of and age
posterior to 0.62 Ma, e.g. Middle Pleistocene (Moroccan Amirian) based on basaltic
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The Quaternary Fluvio-Lacustrine Formations of Tiddas (Septentrional Border of Central
Morocco) Sedimentology, Paleoenvironemnt and Chronostratigraphic Precision
tuffs fond at the base of this Formation. These tuffs were petrographically correlated
with Quaternary basalt which was radiometrically dated in Central Morocco.
Both this age and the sedimentologically inferred depositional environments of this
Formation are corroborated by the discovery of skeletal remains of the genus
Hippopotamus in its deposits.
In fact, a comparative study of the discovered bones of this specimen with two known
fossil species of Western Europe (Hippopotamus major and Hippopotamus incognitus)
and with the current form Hippopotamus amphibious indicates that the Tiddas
Hippopotamus is of an intermediate age between these fossil species and can thus be
attributed at late Middle Pleistocene-early Upper Pleistocene age.
In fact, the comparative study of the discovered remains of Hippopotamus of Tiddas
both with the present-day form (Hippopotamus amphibus) and with two European
specimens (Hippopotamus incognitus and Hippopotamus major) places Hippopotamus
of Tiddas in the interval of late Middle Pleistocene-Early upper Pleistocene.
During this period, the northern margin of Central Morocco was, most likely,
characterized by a wetter climate than the current one, a distensile tectonics and an
intense volcanism upstream of the Bou Regreg River. These conditions would have
favored the installation of fluvio-lacustrine environments where aquatic forms, such as
Hippopotamus, proliferated.
Key words: Central Morocco, Northern Border, Continental Quaternary, fluvio-lacustrine,
Paleo environment, Hippopotamus.
Cite this Article: Naim Hafida, Aberkan M'hamed, Amani Fethi, Chakiri Said, Allouza
Mohamed, Bejjaji Zohra, Sadiki Mohammed, Redouani Asmaa and El Hmidi Fatima,
The Quaternary Fluvio-Lacustrine Formations of Tiddas (Septentrional Border of
Central Morocco) Sedimentology, Paleoenvironemnt and Chronostratigraphic
Precision, International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology,
12(1), 2021, pp. 687-695.
http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJARET?Volume=12&Issue=1
1. INTRODUCTION
The Quaternary of the central part of northern Morocco was the object of several previous
synthetic works especially the works of Beaudet [1] , Martin [2] and Saaïdi [3]. In the northern
border of central Morocco where is located the area of study of the present work, Plio-
Quaternary fluvio-lacustrine Formations include the Formations of Sidi Ali Bou Jnoun and the
Rcifa Valley [4], the Ain Kehoul Formations [5], the Tiddas formations [6], the formation of
Ait Hajji [7] and formations of Ait Babout [8] [9] [10]. In spite of their very restricted areal
distribution, these geological Formations are considered by these authors as very good
neotectonics and pale-environment markers.
1.1. Objectives of Study
The Ait Babout formations, which are the object of the present study, are named after the region
where they are outcropping: Bir Oughioul, Hançala, Zwirga and Bir Dallah Formations (figure.
1).
In the present work we aim to:
http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJARET 688 editor@iaeme.com
Naim Hafida, Aberkan M'hamed, Amani Fethi, Chakiri Said, Allouza Mohamed, Bejjaji Zohra,
Sadiki Mohammed, Redouani Asmaa and El Hmidi Fatima
• Make a sedimentological study of these formations in view of defining their nature
and their pale-environments of deposition (current energy, paleoclimate and
palaeogeography).
• Try to date these deposits;
• Discuss the results thus obtained in our area of study in the light of the results of all
the above-cited studies which covered the equivalents of these fluvio-lacustrine
formations at the scale of the entire Septentrional Central Morocco margin in view
of reconstituting their pale-environments during Quaternary times.
Figure 1: Geographical presentation of fluvio-lacustrine formations (blue beaches on the map) from
the northern edge of central Morocco [1].
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1. Sedimentological Study
The sedimentological study of the Tiddas Formations (Bir Oughioul, Hancala, Zwirga and Bir
Dallah) presented here is based on both lithological descriptions of field cross-sections and
laboratory work (granulometry, morphoscopy, mineralogy, calcimetry) [11], [12] and
petrographic microfacies descriptions [13], [14], [15] carried on samples collected from the
most complete series of these Formations namely, the Bir Oughioul Formation (figure. 2).
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The Quaternary Fluvio-Lacustrine Formations of Tiddas (Septentrional Border of Central
Morocco) Sedimentology, Paleoenvironemnt and Chronostratigraphic Precision
Figure 2 Sidi Bou Azza Lithostratigraphic log of Bir Oughioul Formation (SB) [10].
2.2. Dating Elements
In order to define the age of the fluvio-lacustrine Formations of Tiddas, we made use of the
dating materials that we have found within these deposits and tried to locate them with respect
to the remains of the villafranchian surface that outcropin the study area. These materials are of
three types described below.
2.2.1. Geomorphologic Data
The villafranchian surface is currently outcropping in the region at 600-650m above sea level
[1] and the deposits of the Bir Oughioul Formation, which were deposited in erosional
depressions that cut through this surface, are thus encountered in lower altitudes. Indeed, they
contain detrital material, such as, biotite crystals with chloritized borders and granite pebbles
with iron patinas, which were reworked from this surface.
2.2.2. Quaternary Volcanic Tuffs
Basal detrital coarse-grained deposits of the Bir Oughioul Formation yielded a significant amount of
basaltic tuffs. They consist of small balls with diameters up to 2cm. They are characterized by a
mineralogical cortege that includes Pyroxene, Biotite, Apatite, alkaline Feldspar and Ilmenitein
a greenish gray very fine volcanic matrix showing a thorough pedological evolution. This
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Sadiki Mohammed, Redouani Asmaa and El Hmidi Fatima
petrography, is reminiscent of that of the recent basalts of the central massif [16] which yielded a
radiometric K/Ar age of 0.62 ± 0.2 M [17] (the Middle Pleistocene or Moroccan Amirian [18]).
2.2.3. Tiddas Hippopotamus
We have discovered a deposit of skeletal remains belonging to the genus Hippopotamus in the
upper Marno-detritic deposits (SB17b) of the Sidi Bou Azza section of the Bir Oughioul
Formation (figure 3). These remains consist of an almost entire skull with left mandible and
jawbone and vestiges of tusks, and limb bones (humerus, tibia, ribs, cervical vertebrae, femurs)
and other unidentified bones. They belong, at least, three individuals (presence of three left
femurs and two right shins). The heavily worn molars evoke an elderly individual [19].
Figure 3 Panoramic view of the Bir Oughioul formation (3A) and the location of the lithostratigraphic
log of Sidi Bou Azza (SB) (3B) and the level SB17 (F) with skeletal remains of Hippopotamus (3C)
(humerus, tibia, ribs , cervical vertebrae, femurs; incomplete left maxilla and mandible).
These skeletal remains were the subject of a set of measurements that were later compared
with those made by Faure [20] on the two fossil species of Western Europe, Hippopotamus
major and Hippopotamus incognitus and Hippopotamus amphibius present. Osteometry was
done only on the dentition and the limbs bones (figure, 4).
http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJARET 691 editor@iaeme.comThe Quaternary Fluvio-Lacustrine Formations of Tiddas (Septentrional Border of Central
Morocco) Sedimentology, Paleoenvironemnt and Chronostratigraphic Precision
Figure 4 Diagrams of the ratios of the average dimensions of the skeletal remains of Hippopotamus
from the Tiddas Formation (Bir Oughioul) and the two fossil species from Western Europe,
Hippopotamus major and Hippopotamus incognitus and current Hippopotamus amphibius. 3A:
diagram of the lower cheek teeth, 3B: diagram of the upper cheek teeth, 3C: diagram of the Tibias,
3D: diagram of the femurs.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1. Sedimentology
The lithostratigraphic sections of the Tiddas Formations consist of several tens of meters thick
lithological sequences characterized by, from bottom to top (figure.2):
A multimetric to multi-decametric thick detrital base consisting of mostly fining-upwards
sequences that show more organization towards the top (Unites UI in Fig.2) and that are
uncomfortably overlaying the Paleozoic basement (mostly Famenian shales [21]).
3 lithostratigraphic units (U2 to U4) that are all characterized by alternating carbonates and
siliciclastic rhythmic sequences. Consisting of:
(i) Carbonates that are dominantly made of discontinuous or lenticular limestone beds of
varying thicknesses organized and occasional marly and shaly inter-beds organized in finning
upwards sequences showing convolutes and seismites (slumping). The carbonates beds consist
of laminated limestones, microconglomeratic limestones and sandy limestones and the inter-
beds consist essentially of laminated marls sandy marls and blue shales. The presence of
gainstone and mudstone microfacies in these limestones indicates that the energy of their
environment of deposition was varies from calm to agitated regimes. This suggests that these
carbonated formed in lacustrine, palustrine or transitional fluvial/lacustrine.
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Sadiki Mohammed, Redouani Asmaa and El Hmidi Fatima
And (ii) Detrital facies with siliciclastic materials (shale, sandstone, quartz vein and
quartzite) that are poorly worked out and poorly sorted suggesting that they were deposited in
low energy environments and that were sourced from a areas close to the basin. This suggests
a discontinuous and brutal fluvial regime for these clastic sediments.
A top fine-grained Unit (Unit 5) consisting essentially of marls with intercalation of
brecciated limestones beds with algal incrustations and laminated marls inter-beds the entire
Unit.
3.2. Chronostratigraphic Precision
The detrital deposits of the basal units of the Tiddas formations contain detrital materials
reworked from the villafranchian surface. This makes them post-Villafranchian [18]
As seen above, the volcanic tuffs of central Morocco are dated around 0.62 ± 0.2 Ma, the
Middle Pleistocene or Amirian period of the Moroccan continental Quaternary chronology [18].
The fact that The volcanic balls found in the basal unit of our area of study are characterized by
a mineralogical is reminiscent of that of these Central Morocco basalts which yielded a
radiometric K/Ar age of 0.62 ± 0.2 M [17], suggest that the studied beds are more recent than
these basalts.
The Tiddas Hippopotamus, described here, is largely more robust than the present form and
of intermediate size between the other two fossils of Western Europe [20]. The Tiddas
hippopotamus can thus be attributed to the Middle Pleistocene - late Pleistocene Period.
4. CONCLUSION
The Present study of the Tiddas Formations cropping out in the Tiddas areas is based on field
and laboratory analysis; it allows us the make the following conclusion:
These Formations were deposited in fluvio-lacustrine environments within erosional
depressions cut in the villafranchian surface.
The basic units of these Formations contain reworked volcanic elements whose petrography
is very reminiscent of that of Central Morocco basalts that were dated K/Ar age of 0.62 ± 0.2
M (Middle Pleistocene); this makes them younger that this age.
The discovery of skeletal remains of Hippopotamus in the Bir Oughioul deposits reinforces
our interpretation of their depositional environment as fluvio-lacustrine and corroborates their
above-defined age.
In fact, the comparative study of the discovered remains of Hippopotamus of Tiddas both
with the present-day form (Hippopotamus amphibus ) and with two European specimens
(Hippopotamus incognitus and Hippopotamus major) places Hippopotamus of Tiddas in the
interval of late Middle Pleistocene-Early Pleistocene finite time.
During this period, the northern margin of Central Morocco was, most likely, characterized
by a wetter climate than the current one, a distensile tectonics and an intense volcanism
upstream of the Bou Regreg River. These conditions would have favoured the installation of
fluvio-lacustrine environments where aquatic forms, such as Hippopotamus, proliferated.
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Sadiki Mohammed, Redouani Asmaa and El Hmidi Fatima
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