Discovery of aptian charophytes in non-marine Red Beds of eastern High Atlas, Morocco

A group of unfossiliferous terrigenous beds (Dekkar I Formation), widely di stributed in the Anoual area (Moroccan High Atlas), passes laterally to a f reshwater limestone (Ain Mellouk Limestone) which has yielded a charophyte assemblage; the latter includes Atopochara trivolvis PECK and Flabellochara harrisi (PECK) GRAMBAST, characterizing the Aptian stage. This discovery a llows dating a regional unconformity between the Bathonian and the Aptian a nd, on the other hand, establishing correlations between non-marine and mar ine sequences of Moroccan Middle Atlas and Algeria. An account is given of the charophytes that includes the description of a new species Peckisphaera anoualensis FEIST nov. sp.