Age, trace element and isotope composition of detrital zircon in Saghro Group sediments (Neoproterozoic, Morocco): The missing link in the geotectonic evolution of the northwestern edge of Gondwana

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Christoph Breitkreuz; Professor Dr. Ulf-Gerhard Linnemann
• Subject Area: Palaeontology ; Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 424930892

The marine sediments (and associated volcanics) of the Neoproterozoic Saghro Group are wide-spread in the Moroccan Atlas and Anti-Atlas. However, for the outcrops in eastern Morocco, data on age constraints, geotectonic environment and sediment provenance are scarce. In cooperation with a Moroccan partner (Dr. Brahim Karaoui, Mulay Ismail University, Errachidia), the applicants plan to carry out measurements on detrital zircon from 20 samples to determine age, trace element and isotope composition (Lu/Hf) with LA ICPMS (Senckenberg Collections of Natural History, Dresden, and Goethe University, Frankurt). These data will provide a better understanding of the Neoproterozoic geotectonic evolution at the northwestern edge of Gondwana.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Morocco
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Brahim Karaoui, Ph.D.