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Palynological study for Paleo-environmental reconstruction in the

Mediterranean and Atlantic margins of Morocco

Poster · June 2019

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6 authors, including:

Jihad Rachid Touria Hssaida

University of Hassan II of Casablanca Université Hassan II Mohammedia Casablanca
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Naima Hamoumi Loubna Terhzaz

Mohammed V University of Rabat Faculty of Science Mohammed V University of Rabat
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 PALYNOLOGICAL STUDY FOR PALEO-ENVIRONMENTAL
RECONSTRUCTION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND
ATLANTIC MARGINS OF MOROCCO
Jihad Rachid1, Touria Hssaida1, Naima Hamoumi2, Loubna Terhzaz2, Silvia Spezzaferri3, Schröder -Ritzrau Andrea4, Norbert Frank4, David Van Rooij5

1. Hassan II University/ Dynamics of sedimentary basins and geological correlations Laboratory/ Faculty of Sciences Ben M’SICK Casablanca
/Morocco/rachidjihad231@gmail.com
2. Group of research ODYSSEE, Faculty of Sciences of Rabat, Mohammed-V University Rabat, BP 1014 Rabat, Morocco
3. Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
4. Department of Geology & Soil Science, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
5. University Heidelberg/ Institut of Environmental physics and Institut for Geosciences, Heidelberg, Braden-Württemberg, Germany

INTRODUCTION
This palynological study is part of the international project COCARDE-Flanders, it is a contribution to the study of the carbonated
mounds of the Gulf of Cadiz and the Alboran Sea.
This oceanographic cruise MD 194 / EUROFLEET-GATEWAY and TORE, which performed from June 10 to 21, 2013, was carried
out as part of the program for the study of cold-water corals that were discovered in the late 1990s west of Ireland and recently of
Morocco.
The main objective of this mission: To explain the episodic disappearance of cold water corals during the Pleistocene-Holocene
interval through this multidisciplinary study.
The box cores studied are implanted in the Atlantic and Mediterranean basins, were the subject of this palynological study. The study
sites were selected to highlight Upper and Lower-Middle Holocene and Upper Pleistocene climatic events that would impact the
absence of cold-water corals during the Holocene.
The samples taken from these cores were prepared in the micropaleontological analysis laboratory at the Ben M'sik Faculty of
Science, Casablanca, using the classical quaternary sediment method.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Palynological study according to the classical method of quaternary sediments which requires a chemical
treatment Hcl (10%) and HF (40%) (During 24h), sieving to 10 μm and then slides preparation.
The studied material comes from five Mediterranean and Atlantic boxcores :
- 21 samples from the four Mediterranean boxcores (MD13-3456, MD13-3461 , MD13-3465, MD13-3468)
collected in the eastern part of the Moroccan Mediterranean margin (Alboran Sea )
- 11 samples of the Atlantic boxcores (MD13-3441) taken from the Moroccan Atlantic margin (Gulf of Cádiz)
The objectives of this study:
Reconstruction of the paleoenvironment of the carbonate of cold water corals
Population during this study interval pleistocene-Holocene.
Complete data base on dinoflagellate cysts of current sediments.

GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF THE STUDY ZONE : The Moroccan Atlantic and COMMON PALYNOMORPHS OF THE MOROCCAN MARGINS
Mediterranean Margins ATLANTIC AND MEDITERRANEAN

Spiniferites bulloideus Impagidinium Lingulodinium

Spiniferites mirabilis machaerophorum
sphaericum

Spiniferites Nematosphaeropsis
Spiniferites bentorii membranaceus labyrinthus

Figure 2: Sample and cores location

Figure 1 : Geological setting of Gulf of Cadiz and Alboran Sea
(Iribarren et al., Verges and Fernandez, 2012 and Duarte et al., 2013)

Polykrikos kofoidii Selenopemphix nephroides

DIAGRAM OF RELATIVE FREQUENCIES OF PALYNOMORPHS OF DIAGRAM OF RELATIVE FREQUENCIES OF PALYNOMORPHS OF

THE MOROCCAN MEDITERRANEAN MARGIN THE MOROCCAN ATLANTIC MARGIN

Figure 3 : Diagram of the relative frequencies of palynomorphs (dinoflagellate cysts, heterotrophic / autotrophic pollens) in the MD13-3461
Figure 4 : Diagram of the relative frequencies of palynomorphs (dinoflagellate cysts, heterotrophic / autotrophic pollens)
in the Box core MD13-3441
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
This study of the composition of dinoflagellate cyst assemblages in Pleistocene-Holocene sediments provided information on
the evolution of the Atlantic and Mediterranean marine environment in relation to climate during this period of time. CONCLUSION
Dinoflagellate cysts have been shown to be excellent bioclimatic tracers for quaternary paleoecological events. They have a
latitudinal distribution, and a distribution controlled by the nature of the surface waters, the position of the marine currents, the The palynological study of the carbonate mountains of the Moroccan Atlantic and Mediterranean margins is the
temperature and salinity and the nutrient input. As they are considered as an indirect measure of the primary productivity of first work of its kind . The first results are promising, given the richness and diversification of palynomorphs, which
ocean waters. will allow us to evaluate the climate during the Pleistocene-Holocene interval studied.
After the palynological treatment, the collected organic residue is observed under an optical microscope, which is called the
palynofacies, which describes the total content of organic matter in a palynological assemblage (pollens, spores, chitinous In the studied sites, two groups of dinoflagellate cysts have opposite polarities during climate change, one group of
foraminifera, acritarchs and algae). warm-tempered (TC) and one cold-tempered (TF) cysts :
The studied slides are very rich and diversified in dinoflagellate cysts, pollens, spores, chitinous foraminifers, acritarchs….
The first results give us a good richness in dinoflagellate cysts (Exceed 75%) at the level of all the studied cores of the two  The first (TC) includes species such as: For the genus of Impagidinium (Impagidium paradoxum, Impagidium
Moroccan margins Atlantic and Mediterranean. aculeatum), genus Spiniferites (Spiniferites mirabilis, Spiniferites delicatus and Spiniferites bentorii) ...
The upper Pleistocene dominated by cold taxa (Nemathosphearopsis labyrinthus, Spiniferites lazus and Impagidinium patulum
indicating a cooling period during which is coupled by the dominance of cold pollens these cold cysts regress from the lower to  The second (TF) includes species such as: Spiniferites lazus, Impagidinium patulum and Nemathosphaeropsis
middle Holocene in favour of thermophilic taxa (Spiniferites mirabilis and Impagidinium aculeatum), heterotrophic cysts that labryianthus
reflect a nutrient-rich environment and the dominance of warm pollens. This reflects a warm marine environment.
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