Publication details
New insights from ichnological data in the Senhaja Basin (Western Meseta, Morocco): implications for palaeoenvironment and paleoecology
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | JOURNAL OF IBERIAN GEOLOGY |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41513-025-00323-8 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1007/s41513-025-00323-8 |
| Keywords | Vertebrate footprints; Invertebrates; Senhaja basins; Intermontane basin; Paleoenvironment; Paleoecology |
| Description | Ichnological data serve as a valuable tool for reconstructing the paleogeographic, paleoecological, and biochronological framework of upper Carboniferous-Permian red-bed continental deposits. The Senhaja Basin, a late-orogenic Variscan basin, is located in the easternmost part of the Jebilet Massif within the Moroccan Western Meseta. It unconformably overlies a basement that underwent intense deformation during multiple phases of the Variscan Orogeny. Recent field investigations have led to the first discovery of a diverse ichnofaunal assemblage in this basin. The ichnofossils identified include: (1) invertebrate traces such as Arenicolites, Paleohelcura tridactyla, Scoyenia gracilis, Palaeophycus tubularis, and Palaeophycus striatus; and (2) vertebrate footprints attributed to Hyloidichnus bifurcatus and Batrachichnus salamandroides. These findings provide crucial insights into the paleoenvironmental and paleoecological conditions prevailing during the deposition of these sediments. The ichnological assemblage, in conjunction with sedimentological facies analysis, suggests deposition within a fluvial system characterized by a transition from high-energy channel environments to lower-energy settings, including crevasse splays and floodplains. The presence of vertebrate and invertebrate trace fossils further refines the paleoenvironment, reinforcing its correlation with other upper Carboniferous-Permian successions in the Moroccan Meseta. These findings highlight the significance of ichnological data in refining basin evolution models and contribute to a broader understanding of late-Variscan paleogeography in North Africa. |