Evidence for a Panafrican volcanic arc and wrench fault tectonics in the Jbel Saghro, Anti-Atlas, Morocco

The Saghro hills constitute the northern branch of the Panafrican mobile belt in the eastern part of the Moroccan Anti-Atlas. The Precambrian terranes are predominantly composed of volcaniclastic and volcanic series witnessing a mainly explosive volcanism, intruded by diorites and granites. Their age attribution is problematic, and has been reconsidered in the present study based on structural evidence and Rb/Sr data of quartzdiorites: penetratively deformed volcano-sedimentaries intruded by these plutons aged between 754 and 722 Ma are now considered as Lower Precambrian II. The Upper PII series have been reattributed, and only formations overlying a basal conglomerate and angular disconformity are considered PIII. Main schistosities are predominantly NE-SW, cut by conjugate sets of strike-slip shear zones. In the Saghro area NW-SE compression can explain the observed structures during this main Panafrican deformation phase, while fault kinematics and dike emplacement related to late deformation events indicate rather a NE-SW compression. The explosive volcanism of the Saghro area can be related to a volcanic arc, active during the subduction- and collision-related Panafrican deformations. This arc would be located on the upper plate in respect to the northward dipping subduction zone evidenced in Bou Azzer - El Graara inlier (Saquaque et al., 1989a).