FROM TRANSTENSIVE BASIN TO FORELAND-TYPE BASIN - DYNAMICS OF THE AZROU-KHENIFRA BASIN (HERCYNIAN REGION OF CENTRAL MOROCCO)

The Eastern Meseta of Morocco was deformed during Early Carboniferous orogenesis (ca. 360 Ma) resulting in west vergent thrusts. The Azrou-K henifra basin developed during the Carboniferous at the western margin of the orogenic belt, and was bounded (from the Late Devonian to Earl y Carboniferous) by two parallel northeast-southwest trending dextral faults. Sedimentation within the basin was tectonically controlled by tilling of basement blocks. Subsequently, the eastern basin-bounding f ault was reactivated as a reverse fault, resulting in deformation of t he eastern part of the basin and a westward migration of the depocentr e. The overall tectonic evolution from a transtensive to a foreland-ty pe basin may be related to a clockwise rotation of the regional shorte ning direction. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.