A new early Visean coral assemblage from Azrou-Khenifra Basin, central Morocco and palaeobiogeographic implications
Abstract A new early Visean coral assemblage has been recorded from turbidite facies in the southern part of the Azrou-Khenifra Basin, northwest of Khenifra, central Morocco. The newly discovered Ba Moussa West (BMW) coral fauna includes Siphonophyllia khenifrense sp. nov., Sychnoelasma urbanowitsch...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2020-02-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Palaeogeography |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42501-019-0051-5 |
| _version_ | 1818498815663013888 |
|---|---|
| author | Sergio Rodríguez Ian D. Somerville Pedro Cózar Javier Sanz-López Ismael Coronado Felipe González Ismail Said Mohamed El Houicha |
| author_facet | Sergio Rodríguez Ian D. Somerville Pedro Cózar Javier Sanz-López Ismael Coronado Felipe González Ismail Said Mohamed El Houicha |
| author_sort | Sergio Rodríguez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract A new early Visean coral assemblage has been recorded from turbidite facies in the southern part of the Azrou-Khenifra Basin, northwest of Khenifra, central Morocco. The newly discovered Ba Moussa West (BMW) coral fauna includes Siphonophyllia khenifrense sp. nov., Sychnoelasma urbanowitschi, Cravenia lamellata, Cravenia tela, Cravenia rhytoides, Turnacipora megastoma and Pleurosiphonella crustosa. The early Visean age of the coral assemblage is supported by foraminiferal and conodont data, with the recognition of the basal Visean MFZ9 Zone. This confirms that the first transgression in the Azrou-Khenifra Basin was during the earliest Visean. The allochthonous coral assemblage was recovered from coarse-grained proximal limestone debris flow and turbidite beds within a fault-bounded unit, lying to the west of a thrust syncline containing upper Visean limestones. No evidence exists of the former early Visean shallow-water platform from which the corals were derived. All other in situ platform carbonate rocks around the southern margin of the Azrou-Khenifra Basin are probably of late Visean (Asbian–Brigantian) age. The early Visean Ba Moussa West coral fauna can be compared with that at Tafilalt in eastern Morocco, as well as in other Saharian basins of Algeria. Many of the genera and species in the Ba Moussa West assemblage are identical to those in NW Europe, with which it must have had marine connections. The new rugose species described, Siphonophyllia khenifrense, is probably endemic to North Africa. Its ecological niche in NW Europe was occupied by S. cylindrica or S. aff. garwoodi. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:20:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e5435f8c6ecc43029f1a11429454b394 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2524-4507 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:20:43Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Palaeogeography |
| spelling | doaj.art-e5435f8c6ecc43029f1a11429454b3942022-12-22T01:35:04ZengElsevierJournal of Palaeogeography2524-45072020-02-019112010.1186/s42501-019-0051-5A new early Visean coral assemblage from Azrou-Khenifra Basin, central Morocco and palaeobiogeographic implicationsSergio Rodríguez0Ian D. Somerville1Pedro Cózar2Javier Sanz-López3Ismael Coronado4Felipe González5Ismail Said6Mohamed El Houicha7GEODESPAL, Universidad Complutense de MadridUCD School of Earth Sciences, University College DublinInstituto de Geociencias (CSIC, UCM)Departmento de Geología, Universidad de OviedoInstitute of PaleobiologyDpto. de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de HuelvaGEODESPAL, Universidad Complutense de MadridLaboratoire de Géodynamique et Géomatique, Faculté des Sciences, Université Chouaïb DoukkaliAbstract A new early Visean coral assemblage has been recorded from turbidite facies in the southern part of the Azrou-Khenifra Basin, northwest of Khenifra, central Morocco. The newly discovered Ba Moussa West (BMW) coral fauna includes Siphonophyllia khenifrense sp. nov., Sychnoelasma urbanowitschi, Cravenia lamellata, Cravenia tela, Cravenia rhytoides, Turnacipora megastoma and Pleurosiphonella crustosa. The early Visean age of the coral assemblage is supported by foraminiferal and conodont data, with the recognition of the basal Visean MFZ9 Zone. This confirms that the first transgression in the Azrou-Khenifra Basin was during the earliest Visean. The allochthonous coral assemblage was recovered from coarse-grained proximal limestone debris flow and turbidite beds within a fault-bounded unit, lying to the west of a thrust syncline containing upper Visean limestones. No evidence exists of the former early Visean shallow-water platform from which the corals were derived. All other in situ platform carbonate rocks around the southern margin of the Azrou-Khenifra Basin are probably of late Visean (Asbian–Brigantian) age. The early Visean Ba Moussa West coral fauna can be compared with that at Tafilalt in eastern Morocco, as well as in other Saharian basins of Algeria. Many of the genera and species in the Ba Moussa West assemblage are identical to those in NW Europe, with which it must have had marine connections. The new rugose species described, Siphonophyllia khenifrense, is probably endemic to North Africa. Its ecological niche in NW Europe was occupied by S. cylindrica or S. aff. garwoodi.https://doi.org/10.1186/s42501-019-0051-5MississippianViseanCoralsForaminifersConodontsPalaeobiogeography |
| spellingShingle | Sergio Rodríguez Ian D. Somerville Pedro Cózar Javier Sanz-López Ismael Coronado Felipe González Ismail Said Mohamed El Houicha A new early Visean coral assemblage from Azrou-Khenifra Basin, central Morocco and palaeobiogeographic implications Journal of Palaeogeography Mississippian Visean Corals Foraminifers Conodonts Palaeobiogeography |
| title | A new early Visean coral assemblage from Azrou-Khenifra Basin, central Morocco and palaeobiogeographic implications |
| title_full | A new early Visean coral assemblage from Azrou-Khenifra Basin, central Morocco and palaeobiogeographic implications |
| title_fullStr | A new early Visean coral assemblage from Azrou-Khenifra Basin, central Morocco and palaeobiogeographic implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new early Visean coral assemblage from Azrou-Khenifra Basin, central Morocco and palaeobiogeographic implications |
| title_short | A new early Visean coral assemblage from Azrou-Khenifra Basin, central Morocco and palaeobiogeographic implications |
| title_sort | new early visean coral assemblage from azrou khenifra basin central morocco and palaeobiogeographic implications |
| topic | Mississippian Visean Corals Foraminifers Conodonts Palaeobiogeography |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42501-019-0051-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sergiorodriguez anewearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT iandsomerville anewearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT pedrocozar anewearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT javiersanzlopez anewearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT ismaelcoronado anewearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT felipegonzalez anewearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT ismailsaid anewearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT mohamedelhouicha anewearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT sergiorodriguez newearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT iandsomerville newearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT pedrocozar newearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT javiersanzlopez newearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT ismaelcoronado newearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT felipegonzalez newearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT ismailsaid newearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications AT mohamedelhouicha newearlyviseancoralassemblagefromazroukhenifrabasincentralmoroccoandpalaeobiogeographicimplications |