Geosites, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and Potential Geoparks in the Anti-Atlas (Morocco) - From Geoheritage to Geoparks - page 62

Table 1 Essential features of geoheritage that characterise the Anti-Atlas region; Categorising and grading of essential features of geoheritage signicance in the AA; the rationale for the
assessment and suggested allocation of the sites of geoheritage signicance to geosites and SSSI, or geopark
Geological feature Category of

site (from
Fig. 1 )

Signi cance Rationale Geosite/SSSI, geopark

Corridor of Precambrian inliers Geohistorical International The area hosting the corridor of Precambrian inliers is

globally signicant

As it involves an area of megascale size it would function
as a mega-geopark or as numerous complementary
geoparks (e.g., the Zenaga Inlier as a geopark)

Zenaga Inlier
Iguerda Inlier

Geohistorical International Zenega Inlier and the Iguerda Inlier are of global

signi cance. The Zenega Inlier is unique in the Anti-
Atlas as it shows evidence of two orogenies
(Eburnean and Pan-African). The main part of the
Iguerda Inlier is comprised of quartz diorites,
granites, and metamorphic rocks, with conjugate
fractures and faults and ma c dykes (Fig. 5 d)

The areas hosting Zenaga Inlier and the Iguerda Inlier
and their immediately surrounding formations would
function as geoparks

Neoproterozoic doleritic dykes
(Zenaga, Central AA)

Geohistorical International The Palaeoproterozoic basement of Zenaga inlier is

cross-cut by tholeiitic dykes that witness to the break-
up of the WAC during the Pre Pan-African orogeny
around 1,000 - 800 Ma, and are of International
signi cance

The dyke swarms could also function as a SSSI. The
inliers hosting these dyke swarms associated with the
other geoheritage components could function as a
mega-geopark or a series of complementary geoparks

Neoproterozoic Passive margin with
its spectacular sedimentary
features

Geohistorical International Well preserved Pre-Pan-African sedimentary features are

not common globally and the hosting formations can
play an important role in regional geological
correlation. The whole sequence is internationally
signi cant

The site could function as a SSSI or as could be
integrated into a geopark that include the Zenaga
inlier

Pan-African ophiolites of Bou Azzer
and Siroua inliers, central AA)

Geohistorical International Viewed worldwide, Proterozoic ophiolites are globally

relatively uncommon. Their occurrence and
implications for Proterozoic plate-margin history also
renders them globally signicant

The Precambrian ophiolites are limited in size, and
would function as separate SSSI. They could be also
included in a thematic geopark that groups all the
ophiolites of the central AA and associated
phenomena

Major Anti-Atlas Fault (central AA) Geohistorical International This major fault provides information on crustal tectonics

that has a global signicance

SSSI

Pan-African Diamictites (Bou-Azzer
and Siroua inliers, central AA)

Geohistorical International The two Pan-African diamictites consist of mudstone

with matrix-supported polymictic boulders and
pebbles (Fig. 9 a and b). They represent a Precambrian
record of glacial conditions (Abati et al. 2010 ).
Proterozoic glaciogene deposits are globally
uncommon and of limited occurrence worldwide; as
such, this deposit is globally signi cant

The areas hosting the Precambrian diamictites is limited
in size and would function as a SSSI

(continued)