Mostafa Oukassou

Université Hassan II Mohammedia | FSAC · Department of Earth Sciences

The eastern Agadir (Morocco) was selected for the urban expansion. However, it faces challenges owing to its location within an alluvial basin of weak and heterogeneous sediments, compounded by the scarcity of geotechnical data. This study aimed to create the first geotechnical zoning map of the area to support informed urban planning. Geophysical...

The El Mers I and II formations (Middle Jurassic, Bathonian) are geological units outcropping in the folded Middle Atlas of Morocco rich in body and trace fossils of dinosaurs. The numerous tracksites of these units have been little studied and are severely affected by ongoing erosion (e.g., seasonal flooding) and, to a lesser degree, human activit...

"In the context of a multidisciplinary project encompassing stratigraphic, chemostratigraphic, and paleontological studies, our objective is to elucidate the faunal and floristic turnover that occurred during the Cretaceous-Paleogene transition in the Moroccan Middle Atlas region. This area offers a significant potential for investigating the impac...

In recent years the Middle Atlas of Morocco has become an area of interest for the study of dinosaurs in northern Africa. The Boulahfa locality, near Boulemane, has produced a diverse dinosaur assemblage from the Middle Jurassic of the El Mers Group. Fossil remains of sauropods and thyreophorans, such as ankylosaurs (Spicomellus) and stegosaurs (Ad...

Ghabt Admin, located in western Morocco, is prone to seismic activity and site effects due to its position within an alluvial basin situated between two faulted mountain belts. The region has experienced several devastating earthquakes, including the 1960 Agadir earthquake that resulted in the loss of 12,000 lives and the destruction of over 75% of...

Laser Scanning Technology adopted in underground mining operations provides highly accurate and detailed data acquisition, enabling comprehensive mine planning, safety assessments, and efficient asset management. Safety is significantly enhanced through the identification of potential hazards and proactive risk management in view of operational env...

Un nouveau spécimen de dinosaure thyréophore a été découvert dans les couches rouges du Bathonien-Callovien (Formation d’El Mers III) dans la bordure sud-occidentale du synclinal d’El Mers au sud de Boulemane (Moyen Atlas plissé, Maroc). Le Moyen Atlas est connu depuis longtemps par sa richesse en restes d’os et en traces de pas de dinosaures et co...

During its long history, our planet has undergone significant environmental stress, often related to major climatic changes. Looking back into the geological past is therefore crucial to understanding current and future climatic, environmental and biotic changes. Within this framework, the period extending from the Late Cretaceous (~83 Ma) to the e...

In the last decade, digital modeling techniques have been shown to be very useful in the study of fossils and their preservation, especially with ichnites (footprints) that are difficult to collect or model by traditional methods, due to deposit characteristics, the large sizes of track surfaces, and the importance for tourism and natural heritage...

The Errachidia region is known for its specific geological and oasis landscape as well as its mineral wealth. This study concerns two geotrails of geoeducational and geotourism interest in the southern front of the central High Atlas of Morocco. These area are located in the Errachidia Boudnib Bassin which is a hinge region between the Anti-Atlas...

Anchrif is an important paleontological and archaeological site located about 1.5 km to the West of the Taghrout village in the province of Fez-Boulemane (Middle Atlas, Morocco). It is a Pleistocene paleo-lake that has delivered several vertebrate fossils. Although the most common findings are elephants ascribed to Elephas, artiodactyls, turtles, a...

In the last decades, the Middle Atlas region has become an important area for the study of Moroccan’s Mesozoic vertebrates, especially the Boulemane-El Mers region, rich in diverse dinosaur bones and tracks. The first dinosaur skeletal fossils have been found in Middle Jurassic (El Mers I Formation) sites of this area (Termier et al., 1940; Lappare...

Geological heritage is now a main component in the current patterns of socio-economic and sustainable development and is becoming essential in the educational process. Morocco is among the countries with the most fascinating geological diversity in the world. This work presents a result of the proposal for a pedagogical and geotouristic trail in th...

We describe an isolated small stegosaur pes track from the ?Upper Jurassic-?Lower Cretaceous red beds of the folded Middle Atlas, Morocco. It comes from the base of the Oued El Atchane Formation which unconformably overlies the Middle Jurassic (Upper Bathonian-? Callovian) El Mers III Formation. The footprint is preserved as concave epirelief toget...

The Bajocian-Bathonian transition has been identified for the first time in the Skoura syncline of the folded Middle Atlas of Morocco based on dinoflagellate cyst and palynofacies analysis of the Ich Timellaline/Bou Akrabene Formation carbonates. This palynological study involved 109 samples of marls and limestones whose organic content yielded div...

Anchrif is an important paleontological and archaeological site located about 1.5 km to the West of the Taghrout village in the province of Fez-Boulemane (Middle Atlas, Morocco). It is a Pleistocene paleo-lake that has delivered several vertebrate fossils. Although the most common findings are elephants ascribed to Elephas, artiodactyls, turtles, a...

Boulemane area is one of the important key sectors to understand the evolution of the central Middle Atlas of Morocco. It is a junction area of three Cretaceous/Paleogene unconformable sedimentary basins on the Triassic-Jurassic deposits. This work is a combination of remote sensing results (optical and radar data) supported by field observations t...

Thyreophora is a diverse clade of herbivorous ornithischian dinosaurs composed of stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, and basal forms. Thyreophorans have an extensive fossil record, spanning from the Lower Jurassic to the Upper Cretaceous, which is best known from well-preserved specimens in Laurasia. In contrast, the remains are extremely rare and mostly par...

Boulemane area is one of the important key sectors to understand the evolution of the central Middle Atlas of Morocco. It is a junction area of three Cretaceous/Paleogene unconformable sedimentary basins on the Triassic-Jurassic deposits. As a large part of the Boulemane area is inaccessible and geologically unmapped, we opted for a geological mapp...

Tridactyl theropod and ornithischian dinosaur tracks and trackways from Imilchil and Isli formations (Middle–?Late Jurassic, Bajocian–?) of the central High Atlas region (Morocco) are described. The Imilchil Formationconsists of brackish marine-continental deposits, and the Isli Formation is a continental red-bed succession. Considering numerous ne...

This work focuses on the application of optical remote sensing techniques, in particular, the comparison between different methodological approaches in order to highlight structural lineaments within the Tichka massif in the Western High Atlas of Morocco. Lineaments were extracted from Landsat ETM+ and ASTER Images, and ASTER DEM. The extracted lin...

With the latest advancements in information technology, their places in the educational process are imposed. This work presents a preliminary result of the proposed geological educational itinerary in the region of Errachidia. The latter is known for its fabulous geological and oasis landscape as well as its mineral wealth. Through this study we wi...

Understanding the relationship between the spatial distribution of forest vegetation and influencing factors provides valuable information to decision-makers in land planning, for the sustainable development of forests and efficient monitoring of environmental and ecological issues. This paper aims to understand the effect of topographic factors an...

The Paleozoic Tichka massif in the Western High Atlas constitutes a key sector to understand the transition between the Atlas and Anti-Atlas domains. This massif was intruded by several granitoids in which the important plutonic complex Tichka emplaced within Paleozoic rock units was subjected to syn- to late-emplacement deformation (D3) resulting...

Rehamnia michardis Oukassou and Naugolnykh, gen. et sp. nov. is discribed from the Late Famennian of the Foum El Mejez area (Northern Rehamna, Moroccan Meseta). This is the first record of Late Devonian plant from the Rehamna Hercynian massif. The new enigmatic plant remains are preserved as compression and impression in quartzitic sandstone of the...

Rehamnia michardis Oukassou and Naugolnykh, gen. et sp. nov. is discribed from the Late Famennian of the Foum El Mejez area (Northern Rehamna, Moroccan Meseta). This is the first record of Late Devonian plant from the Rehamna Hercynian massif. The new enigmatic plant remains are preserved as compression and impression in quartzitic sandstone of the...

Complete trackways of the Late Triassic archosaur ichnogenus Brachychirotherium are extremely rare and thus far mostly known from North America, though isolated imprints are abundant. Complete step cycles have been found on the upper and lower bedding surfaces in laminated mudstones and finegrained sandstones of the lowermost part of the Machraa Ab...

The Tighboula Syncline is located on the western margin of the folded Middle Atlas. On this residual basin outcrops mainly Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, organized in six formations. On the eastern flank of this syncline outcrop continental deposits known as 'red beds' with, in general, very few biostratigraphic landmarks particularly the conglomera...

This work focuses on the application of optical remote sensing techniques, in particular, the comparison between different methodological approaches in order to highlight structural lineaments within the Tichka massif in the Western High Atlas of Morocco. Lineaments were extracted from Landsat ETM+ and ASTER Images, and ASTER DEM. The extracted lin...

A new dinosaur tracksite is reported from continental red beds of the Jurassic (Late Bathonian-?Callovian) Isli Formation along the northern flank of the Aït Ali ou Ikkou Syncline of the Imilchil area, Central High Atlas, Morocco. The succession was deposited in a fluvio-lacustrine environment, and contains at least fourteen track-bearing levels. T...

Trackways of Late Triassic Brachychirotherium (archosaur) are known from few specimens, mostly from North America. Complete step cycles have been found on the upper and lower bedding surface in laminated mudstone and fine sandstone of the upper Oued Oum Er Rbiaa Formation (Late Triassic). This is the first trackway of the ichnogenus in North Africa...

A new dinosaur tracksite was discovered in continental red beds of the Isli Formation (late Bathonian-?Callovian) along the northern flank of the Aït Ali ou Ikkou Syncline in the Imilchil area, Central High Atlas, Morocco. The area has an extraordinary scientific potential, as the layers, which have been deposited in a fluvio-lacustrine environment...

Trackways of Late Triassic Brachychirotherium (archosaur) are known from few specimens, mostly from North America. Complete step cycles have been found on the upper and lower bedding surface in laminated mudstone and fine sandstone of the upper Oued Oum Er Rbiaa Formation (Late Triassic). This is the first trackway of the ichnogenus in North Africa...

Trackways of Late Triassic Brachychirotherium (archosaur) are known from few specimens, mostly from North America. Complete step cycles have been found on the upper and lower bedding surface in laminated mudstone and fine sandstone of the upper Oued Oum Er Rbiaa Formation (Late Triassic). This is the first trackway of the ichnogenus in North Africa...

Complete trackways of the Late Triassic archosaur ichnogenus Brachychirotherium are extremely rare and thus far mostly known from North America, though isolated imprints are abundant. Complete step cycles have been found on the upper and lower bedding surfaces in laminated mudstones and fine-grained sandstones of the lowermost part of the Machraa A...

Complete trackways of the Late Triassic archosaur ichnogenus Brachychirotherium are extremely rare and thus far mostly known from North America, though isolated imprints are abundant. Complete step cycles have been found on the upper and lower bedding surfaces in laminated mudstones and fine-grained sandstones of the lowermost part of the Machraa A...

The folded Middle Atlas Mountains has rich geomorphologic landscapes and remarkable geological sites, little known by the general public. In this paper, we propose an approximately 60 km geological trail, including several geosites mostly staggered in the sinuous valleys of the Atchane and Guigou rivers, between the Boulemane, Skoura and El Mers. T...

Dans la Meseta côtière, des roches volcaniques ont été découvertes au niveau de la rive droite de l’Oued Merzeg à Dar Bou Azza. Il s’agit de sills, de dykes et de coulées volcaniques dans les schistes à Paradoxides d’âge Cambrien moyen. L’analyse pétrographique de ces roches a permis d’identifier leurs textures et leurs assemblages minéralogiques...

Horseshoe crabs (Chelicerata, Xiphosura) from Mesozoic deposits are extremely rare in the fossil record of the African continent. Here we report new evidence of the occurrence of xiphosurans in North Africa. These are horseshoe crab traces, including the ichnogenera Kouphichnium (repichnia) and Selenichnites (fodinichnia and/or domichnia), which ha...

The Middle Atlas Mountains have rich geomorphologic landscapes and remarkable geological sites, little known by the general public. In this work, we propose an approximately 60 km long geological trail, including several geosites mostly staggered in the sinuous valleys of the Atchane and Guigou rivers, between Boulemane, Skoura and El Mers. These g...

Xiphosurans (limulacea, limulids) from Mesozoic deposits are extremely rare in the fossil record of the African continent. Here we report new findings of xiphosuran traces, including the ichnogenera Kouphichnium (repichnia) and Selenichnites (fodinichnia), which have been discovered in Middle Jurassic strata of the Imilchil area (Central High Atlas...

Les xiphosures (limulacea, limulidés) des dépôts mésozoïques sont extrêmement rares dans les archives fossiles du continent africain. Nous rapportons ici de nouvelles découvertes de traces de xiphosures, y compris l'ichnogenre Kouphichnium (Repichnia) et Selenichnites (Fodinichnia), qui ont été découverts dans les strates du Jurassique moyen (Bajoc...

Footprints of Crocodylomorpha (Archosauria, Pseudosuchia) are rare in Mesozoic ichnoassemblages. However, those of small terrestrial forms (Batrachopus) occur in the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic. Crocodylopodus trackways of semi-aquatic crocodylomorphs have been found in the Jurassic-Cretaceous. We discovered tetradactyl pes (8 cm long) and associa...

Small bird-like tracks have recently been discovered at three outcrops of the Imilchil Formation (Middle Jurassic, Bajocian-Bathonian) in the Central High Atlas of Morocco. The track-bearing strata are part of a marine-continental transitional succession, the studied surfaces being sandy marls and limestones of a brackish depositional environment....

The northern margin of the West African Craton is a mobile zone affected by numerous geodynamic episodes: Pan-African, Variscan and Alpine orogenies. These orogenic phenomena dominantly horizontal are followed by more discret vertical movements, the restitution of which is often problematic. The Anti-Atlas Belt occupies a critical position at the n...

The deformation of granitic massifs gives rise to composite microstructures including cracks, joints, veins and faults. In the last decade, the process of mechanical deformation has been of particular interest in understanding the mechanisms of fracture nucleation. The genesis and evolution of these discontinuities is a subject of major geological...

Xiphosurans (limulacea, limulids) from Mesozoic deposits are extremely rare in the fossil record of the African continent. Here we report new findings of xiphosuran traces, including the ichnogenera Kouphichnium (repichnia) and Selenichnites (fodinichnia), which have been discovered in Middle Jurassic strata of the Imilchil area (Central High Atlas...

The Paleozoic massif of Tichka in the southern part of the Western High Atlas of Morocco constitutes a structural transition between the Meseta and the Anti-Atlas domains. It was affected by a complex network of fractures noticeable at different scales. Using Landsat ETM+ imagery permits detecting the main fracture directions. Various techniques of...

The present research provides the first evidence of invertebrate activity assigned to the ichnogenus Selenichnites occurring together with moderately diverse ichnofossils from the middle to late Cambrian of the Moroccan Meseta. The invertebrate traces occur in sandstone strata of the El Hank Formation within the Imfout Syncline, in the northern par...

Fracture networks are involved in many fluid flow processes such as groundwater and hydrothermal fluids. The latter can lie mineralization possessing economic value. Therefore, the study of fracture networks is particularly important in hydrogeological and mining explorations. Given the difficult structural investigations (access difficulties and t...

Lineament analysis is an important approach in geological mapping and mineral exploration. In this paper, we present a methodological approach to detect the cleavage lineaments in the grano-diorite of Tichka which is located to the north of the major fault zone of Tizi-n-Test between both Meseta and West Afraicain domains. Several technics were app...

The magmatic activity related to the Moroccan Variscides is expressed in the Mechraa Ben Abbou Basin (Northern Rehamna, Western Meseta, Morocco) by Visean (or later) subvolcanic rocks represented by gabbros, dolerites and basalt as sills. Subvolcanic rocks display an equigranular textures for the gabbros, intersertale ophitic and subophitic for the...

Mesozoic strata of North Africa yield the first occurrence of the ichnogenus Selenichnites.The trace fossils occur on the top surface of a sandy carbonate deposit in the axis ofa Middle Atlas syncline (Skoura Syncline, NE Morocco). The ichnofossil-bearing horizonbelongs to the Late Bajocian–Early Bathonian Ich Timellaline/Bou Akrabene Formation.The...

The present research provides the first evidence of invertebrate activities attributed to the ichnogenus Selenichnites from the Middle Cambrian of Moroccan Meseta. The invertebrate traces occur in sandstone strata from the El Hank Formation of the Imfout syncline, in the northern part of the Rehamna Massif (Coastal Block, Western Moroccan Meseta)....

Le massif de Tichka situé dans le Haut Atlas formé par des formations volcanodétritrtiques, des formations sédimentaires et des intrusions granitiques présente un réseau complexe de fractures à différentes échelles. L’étude de ce réseau à l’échelle cartographique à travers l’analyse des images satellitaires Landsat ETM+ et l’observation de terrain,...

This research provides the first evidence of invertebrate biogenic sedimentary structures attributed to the ichnogenus Selenichnites from the Jurassic of Morocco. The ichnofossils occur in calcareous strata from the

La topographie de l’Afrique du Nord est marquée en domaine intraplaque par des bombements topographiques importants, associés à du magmatisme cénozoïque. Le massif du Siroua dans l’Anti-Atlas central, est l’un de ces bombements. Il est constitué d’un socle précambrien structuré par l’orogénèse panafricaine et culminant à plus de 3300 m d’altitude (...

L’Anti-Atlas se situe à la bordure nord du Craton Ouest-Africain (WAC). Cet orogène intracontinental plissé au Carbonifère est caractérisé par des reliefs très importants (sommets à ~ 2500 m) énigmatiques pour une chaîne très ancienne. La connaissance de l’évolution géodynamique de ce domaine et des mouvements verticaux qui sont responsables de son...

The origin of the Anti-Atlas relief is one of the currently debated issues of Moroccan geology. In order to constrain the post-Variscan evolution of the Central Anti-Atlas, we collected 9 samples from the Precambrian basement of the Bou Azzer-El Graara inlier for zircon and apatite fission-track thermochronology. Zircon ages cluster between 340±20...

The origin of the Anti-Atlas relief is one of the currently debated issues of Moroccan geology. To constrain the post-Variscan evolution of the Central Anti-Atlas, we collected nine samples from the Precambrian basement of the Bou Azzer-El Graara inlier for zircon and apatite fission-track thermochro-nology. Zircon ages cluster between 340 AE 20 an...