Arab J Sci Eng
DOI 10.1007/s13369-015-1672-3
RESEARCH ARTICLE - EARTH SCIENCES
A GIS-Based Inventory of Ornamental Stone and Aggregate
Operations in the Beni-Mellal Region (Morocco)
Ahmed Barakat1 · Mohamed El Baghdadi1 · Jamila Rais1
Received: 30 July 2014 / Accepted: 23 April 2015
© King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2015
Abstract Straddling between two contrasting structural
features, the High-Atlas in east and the Tadla plain in west, the
Beni-Mellal region has a diversified and enormous potential
in terms of natural resources, especially building materi-
als and ornamental rocks. The material quarries became
widespread and represent one of the significant economic
activities in the region. The aim of this study was to develop
a GIS-database that includes several themes (layers) in order
to properly locate all exploited quarries in the Beni-Mellal
region and to analyze its relationship with geology, hydro-
graphic and road networks, and market area. The material
extraction takes place by the open-pits in rivers and by the
quarries in the Atlas piedmont. The majority of aggregate
such as sand and gravel is produced from alluvial deposits,
flood plains, and stream terraces located along the Oum Er-
Rbia and Oued Derna Rivers and its tributaries. The quarries
located in the Atlas piedmont produce crushed rock aggre-
gates from limestone and brecciated dolomite rocks of Lias
age. More easily accessible, they could provide long-term
quarry material production (in tonnage and quality), meet-
ing the needs of the inhabitants of the region. Also, the
Beni-Mellal Atlas region offers huge reserves ornamental
rocks, namely travertine and limestone onyx deposited in the
dolomite and coral-reef limestone of Lias.
Keywords Beni-Mellal region · Material quarries ·
Inventory · GIS-database
B Ahmed Barakat
a.barakat@usms.ma
1 able for aggregate quarries in New England, USA, and in
Geo-Resources and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of
Sciences and Techniques, University of Sultan My Slimane,
P.O. Box 523,23000, Beni-Mellal, Morocco
1 Introduction
Ornamental stones and aggregates are fundamental resources
for the economic, urban, and social development [1]. They
have widespread uses in all building construction projects,
which emphasize the importance of their general availability
and economic significance.
Under the impact of population and economic growth, the
Tadla-Azilal region is urbanizing, its main cities are grow-
ing, and new urban centers are emerging. In the past decade,
the building has become a potential growing sector and a
catalyst for investment. In addition, several infrastructure
projects are underway, such as the international airport and
the highway linking Beni-Mellal to Casablanca. Due to these
rapid development and evolution of large construction sec-
tors such as urban planning and engineering projects in the
region, the continuous growth in demand of building materi-
als and ornamental rocks makes it essential to investigate and
manage material operations. The delineation of prospective
source areas for aggregate involves evaluation of geologic
factors. Nevertheless, factors of transportation and demand
zones need to be considered [2] because the economic value
of a given material quarried is a function of its proximity to
the market area as well as its quality [3]. Any increase in
haulage distance raises the cost of aggregates to consumers.
One of the ways used to characterize the spatial features
of quarries, given their geographic location, is geographic
information system (GIS). During the last decades, the GIS
tools have become widely used to address the increasing
demand for surficial geology information for application in
the quarry material management. Robinson et al. [4] and
Karakaş [5] have applied GIS techniques to locate areas suit-
the North of Kocaeli Province, Turkey, respectively. Other
studies have applied GIS-based methodology for inventory,
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the aggregate sources, and for modeling the aggregate supply
and demand such as those conducted by Scott and Harisson
[6] in Jamaica, and by Karakaş et al. [7] on the Front Range
urban corridor, Colorado, USA. GIS methods have been also
used to inventory the ancient stone quarry landscapes [8] and
to suggest the rehabilitation scenarios for the quarry sites
[9]. Moreover, Berry and Pistocchi [10] have demonstrated
the usefulness of multicriterial geographic analysis to assess
the environmental impact assessment of open-pit quarries in
Tuscany. Darwish et al. [11] have applied satellite imagery
and an integrated GIS approach to assess the environmental
impact of quarried sites on natural ecosystems in Lebanon,
specifically on land cover, groundwater resources, soil, and
terrain geomorphological properties.
According to previous studies, the GIS methods which
are integrated in this study have been demonstrated as use-
ful tools for extracting key information from data sets of
rock quarries. A GIS is a computer- based application of
technology involving spatial data and attributes information
to be used as a decision support tool. In a GIS, the real
world is modeled as separate spatial layers relating to dif-
ferent themes (e.g., hydrographic network, cities, geological
facies, structure). These layers were recombined and super-
imposed for visualization and analysis. The digitalization
consists to describe the boundaries of spatial objects through
their elementary constituents, using the mouse as points,
lines, or polygons. The attributes that are the descriptive data
characterized by their non-spatial aspect have been entered
Fig. 1 Location map of the study area (dashed square)
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Arab J Sci Eng
concurrently with the spatial data capture in new GIS tables,
or imported from Excel program.
The present study has been carried out with the objective
to overcome lack of quarry census, nevertheless at regional
level. So, this study explores the use of a GIS technique to
inventory quarries for ornamental stone and aggregate and
to analyze their spatial relations with geology, hydrographic
and transportation networks, and consumption points. Based
on these regional spatial relations, the GIS techniques defined
the general areas most likely to be of interest to the building
material industry as sites for ornamental stone and aggregate
production and allowed to effectively manage these mineral
resources in order to ensure a sustainable supply for the con-
struction sector.
2 Study Area Setting
The study area located in the center of Morocco in the Tadla-
Azilal region (Fig. 1) was restricted to the piedmont of Atlas
and Tadla plain. Agriculture is a major activity in the area.
The plain extends over an area of 3600 km2 , on the axis con-
necting the two imperial cities, Fez and Marrakech. It has
an altitude of 400 m. Its topography is generally level except
along the Oum Er-Rbia and Oued Derna Rivers, where it
shows a series of cliffs. As for the Atlas region which covers
the southern part of the Middle-Atlas and the majority of the
Arab J Sci Eng
High-Atlas, it is characterized by a complex geology mainly
of Mesozoic age.
Climate of the region is continental semi-arid with a rainy
season lasting from November to March and a dry season
from April to October. The average annual precipitation,
mostly irregular, varies between 170 and 540 mm with an
average of 280 mm. The average annual temperatures are
about 18 ◦ C with a peak of 40 ◦ C in August and minimum
3 ◦ C in January. The annual potential evaporation is about
1800 mm.
Over the past decade, many socio-economic and urban
renewal projects have been launched in the Beni-Mellal
region. These projects that are part of a national strategy
for urban and economic development are intended to pro-
mote tourism and investment attractions. These projects
involve infrastructure (highway, road network, airport, etc.)
and urban development, economic activities, restructuring
of sub-standard housing, and implementation of agricultural
pilot projects (industrial units, agropole, etc.).
3 Sources and Acquisition of Data
The present work has been carried out in order to overcome
lack of pit and quarry operation inventory at regional level.
Various types of spatial data are used in the GIS approach
to define the areas that are most likely to produce orna-
mental stones and aggregates. There are quarry and deposit
locations, geology, tectonic, hydrographic network, and road
network. The data analyses were performed using ArcView
GIS Version 3.2. Three theme layers were used: (i) geologic
map units with pits and quarries, (ii) proximity to principal
highways, and (iii) relationship between quarries and hydro-
graphic network.
Quarry-related databases used in this study were acquired
from different sources. Much information about quarry sites,
collected before 2007, was provided to us by Regional Del-
egation of Energy and Mining and Regional Delegation of
Equipment of Beni-Mellal. In order to complete and update
these data, several field investigations were conducted in
2012. The data collected, including the location of the quar-
ries, type of quarried rock, and their fields of use, are stored
in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. A compilation of bedrock
geologic maps that provided an efficient platform for surfi-
cial geology information [12–15], has been used for evidence
of geology at the regional level. Four geologic maps, which
are similar in type and scale (1/100,000), have been used;
they are those of Beni-Mellal, Afourer, Qasbat Tadla, and
Oued Zem, which were published by the Geological Survey
of Ministry of Energy and Mining at 1985 [16], 1977 [17],
1985 [18], 1972 [19], respectively. After being scanned, these
geologic maps were georeferenced using the ArcView GIS
Version 3.2 software and Image Warp extension, to get the
exact universal transverse mercator (UTM) coordinates of the
different points. On the basis of these maps, a geologic map
of the study zone has been compiled and has been used to
create tectonic and hydrographic network GIS layers. Over-
all, little generalization was required to maintain legibility at
the compilation scale; only minimal geologic detail was lost
in the digitizing process. The locations of crushed rock quar-
ries [20,21] were used to identify the geologic map units that
are most suitable for use as quarry material. They have been
entered concurrently with the spatial data capture in new GIS
tables, or imported from Excel program. Each quarry type is
described by an identifier, which serves to distinguish it from
other attributes or extract it when necessary. The highway
system layer was developed from the Moroccan road map
in order to visualize the road transport infrastructure in the
study region.
4 Geology
The study area extends over two distinct morphologic fea-
tures, Tadla plain and Central High-Atlas Mountains.
Bounded to the north by the Plateau of Phosphates and
to the south by the Atlasic Mountain, the Tadla plain cov-
ers a fairly large area (give an approximate area size such as
∼400 km2 ) and extends in an NE–SW direction. The deposits
of the Tadla plain overlay unconformably the schisto-
quartzitic Paleozoic bedrock, which is strongly folded and
faulted. Geologically, the Tadla plain is a large syncli-
nal depression filled by the Mio-Plio-Quaternary deposits
derived primarily from the rocks of the Plateau of the Phos-
phates, the Massif Central and the High-Atlas [22,23]. The
Mio-Pliocene is represented by conglomerates based on
angular unconformity on the Eocene sandstone. The Vil-
lafranchien and the quaternary units are represented by
alluvial fan conglomerates and lacustrine limestones. These
units are beveled and disappear northward and southward.
The central High-Atlas corresponds to an intra-continental
mountain chain, overlooking the plains over more than
2000 m. Resulting from the structural inversion of a mainly
Jurassic basin [24,25], this chain is composed of a series
of synclinal basins subsiding on sinistral strike-slip [26,27].
During the mesozoic, the central High-Atlas experienced
extension and rifting, first during the Triassic [28–32], and
late during the Jurassic [33–36]. The chain is essentially made
up of Jurassic rocks in outcrop. The paleozoic is rarely rep-
resented and sporadically outcrops as shales and quartzites.
The Triassic lithostratigraphic units consist of a red forma-
tions and tholeiitic basalts. These units are overlaid by a
thick series of Liassic limestone. The Toarcien is character-
ized by terrigenous formations that are covered by carbonate
sedimentation of the marine Jurassic. This carbonate sedi-
mentation is covered by continental clastic sediments and
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Table 1 Bedrock geology units with corresponding age through the Tadla plain in parallel with the Atlas border.
Age Lithological units Along its crossing of the Tadla, Oum Er-Rbia River receives
no input from the right bank, except during the rare peri-
Indeterminated Travertine ods of abundant rainfall. On the left bank, the tributaries are
Atlasic Quaternary Alluvium, terraces and screes numerous; the main ones are Oued Derna with an average
Late Quaternary Recent alluvium flow of 4.8 m3 /s and Oued El Abid with an average flow
Middle Quaternary Silts of 39.8 m3 /s. The Bin el Ouidane dam, located at 27 km
Middle-Early Quaternary Intermediate-old alluvium northerly of Azilal town, holds back the waters of Oued El
Early Quaternary Lacustrine limestone and pink marl Abid and Ouhansal Rivers. Its reservoir lake has an area of
Plio-Villafranchian Conglomerates 3800 ha.
Mio-Pliocene Pink marl and conglomerates
Tertiary Phosphatic limestone and sandstone
Cretaceous Limestone and marl 6 Descriptions of Quarry Materials
Continental Jurassic Red mudstones and sandstones
Marine Jurassic Limestone, limestone-marl and marl The quarry locations were transferred onto compiled geology
Toarcian Marl, limestone and conglomerates map with ages of rock units. Both major types of quarry
Middle Lias Limestone and dolomite materials are distinguished namely: (i) the ornamental rocks
Lower Lias Dolomite and limestone exist in the northern edge of the Atlas, (ii) the aggregate
Upper Triassic Pink marl with gypsum and salt materials located in Tadla plain, precisely along the streams,
Triassic Igneous rocks and in the Atlas.
Paleozoic Schists and quartzites
6.1 Ornamental Rock Quarries

evaporates corresponding to continental Jurassic. The marine
sedimentation reappears with limestone and marl of the upper
Cretaceous, marking the last witness of mesozoic deposits
in this region. The tertiary begins with phosphate layers and
continues with the red sandstone. The Mio-Pliocene is repre-
sented by pink marls and conglomerates that continue on the
Plio-Villafranchien. The medium, early, and late quaternary
dispersed along the Atlas is represented by old and young
alluvial terrace deposits, respectively.
Geological maps published by the Geological Survey of
Ministry of Energy and Mining and covering the entire region
were digitized for their compilation. All source map units
were converted into a standardized legend based on age of
the lithological formations. The nature of lithological units
corresponding to different ages is listed in Table 1. The final
geology map is shown in Fig. 2.
5 Hydrographic Network
Whatever the nature of quarry material to be extracted, the
formation of such materials is always in relation to the
process water. Therefore, an effort was made to focus on
the relationship existing between stone quarries and hydro-
graphic network. The hydrographic network of the study zone
was digitized, and the result was illustrated in Fig. 3.
The Tadla-Azilal region is characterized by enormous
reserves of surface and ground water. The most important
watercourse in the region is the Oum Er-Rbia River that runs
Ornamental rocks present an attractive appearance due to the
nice polishing and good coloration, which allows them to be
used for decoration and for art objects. In the study area, we
distinguish essentially limestone onyx, travertine, limestone,
gabbros, and marble rocks (Fig. 4).
Limestone onyx Onyx is a beautiful translucent material,
light, and shiny resulting from concretions. It is princi-
pally located in the dolomite and coral limestone forma-
tion of Lias. It occurs in different morphological features,
which are described below. The karst features developed in
dolomite and limestone reef of Liassic age (Sinemurian–
Pliensbachian) were filled progressively by limestone onyx
mineralization. This mineralization occurs in veins ranging
in thickness from about 0.5 to 1 m (Fig. 4, site 1). This mor-
phological type of limestone onyx quarry was recorded in
Jbel Emlyader (32◦ 33′ 42.95′′ N, 6◦ 06′ 10.69′′ W). The ten-
sion fractures with preferred directions of N–S, NE–SW,
and E–W are filled by limestone onyx and hosted by Liasic
dolomite. These fractures have metric thickness and multi-
metric extension (Fig. 4, site 2). This type of onyx is exploited
in Bou Trhirhecht quarry (32◦ 31′ 43.66′′ N; 6◦ 03′ 34.51′′ W).
The concordant bodies to the stratification, the most domi-
nant type, are:
• Ait Chkounda limestone onyx located at 700 m to south-
west of Ait Chkounda village (32◦ 30′ 42.65′′ N, 6◦ 06′
23.44′′ W) occurs in the abnormal contact between
interbedded Cenomanian limestone and marl more or
less clayey, and Lias dolomite more or less crushed

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Fig. 2 Lithological units and location of aggregate (AQ) and ornamental stone (OSQ) quarries
(Fig. 4, site 3). It extends over 50 m with a thickness
of 6 m and occurs as of well-crystallized calcite.
• Amalou Ighzifene limestone onyx is located at 4 km to
southeast of Foum el Anseur village (32◦ 22′ 5.36′′ N, 6◦
13′ 17.50′′ W). Hosted within thin beds of dolomites, it
constitutes an outcrop of concordant bodies along the
fractures. These onyx bodies are, respectively, oriented
N–S and N30◦ E (Fig. 4, site 4).
• Igioul limestone onyx is located on the hill overlook-
ing the Foum el Anseur village (32◦ 21′ 59.43′′ N, 6◦ 15′
52.40′′ W). It is either lenticular or concordant with the
stratification of the host rock (Fig. 4, site 5).
• Timsit limestone onyx situated at 2 km south of the
village of Adouz (32◦ 20′ 44.18′′ N, 6◦ 17′ 10.08′′ W) is a
concordant type (Fig. 4, site 6).
• Tamjerch limestone onyx situated at 8 km southeastern of
the Beni-Mellal town (32◦ 17′ 17.79′′ N, 6◦ 17′ 34.78′′ W)
is of similar type to Amalou Ighzifene limestone onyx
(Fig. 4, site 7).
Travertine This is a biochemical limestone with a white-
yellowish aspect, concretionary and fenestral. Three bodies
of travertine are noticeable in the topography of the El Ksiba
area. They form small cliffs of twenty meter high. The most
important of these bodies is that of Rhorm el Alem. The lat-
ter relies on the tertiary layers on the edge of a large overlap,
which served as drains of water passing through the Lias-
sic dolomite. It is covered by some recent earthworks and
stretches over 4 km long and 1.5 km wide with a thickness of
80–90 m (Fig. 4, sites 8 and 9).
Limestone The most important deposit of limestone is that of
Tadawt-n-Tizi. At 8 km (air distance) south of El Ksiba, near
the Tizi-n-Aitouira village (32◦ 29′ 32.96′′ N, 6◦ 0′ 56.45′′ W)
occurs a powerful calcareous series of Dogger (Formation
of Bin el Ouidane) that extends to 9 km or more in length,
1.5 km in width, and 50 m in thickness. This series begins
with a fairly well-stratified limestone with bedding thickness
from 0.2 to 1 m. The limestones are overlain by more or less
marly limestone, then by beige, and oolitic limestone. The
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Fig. 3 Aggregate (AQ) and ornamental stone (OSQ) quarries in relation to hydrographic network
series ends with brecciated and yellow limestone sandstone
(Fig. 4, site 10).
Gabbros These are coarse-grained igneous rocks composed
mainly of plagioclase, pyroxene, and some olivine. The gab-
broic rocks are outcropped in the south of El Ksiba, around
Tit-n-Tazart locality (32◦ 29′ 4.74′′ N, 6◦ 02′ 56.93′′ W), as gab-
broic sills hosted in Dogger limestone. At the outcrop, the
sills show a brownish color, indicating a high degree of alter-
ation (Fig. 4, site 11). They are thick (about ten meters) and
are prolonged to the southwest.
6.2 Aggregate Operations
The construction aggregate is a category of rock material used
in construction, including all grains having sizes between 0
and 125 mm (sand, gravel, crushed stone). They are used in
particular to the manufacture of mortars, concretes, layers
of foundation base, a binder course and a surface course,
foundations and railroad ballast, embankments. In the region,
the sources of aggregate are the borrow pits, dolomite, and
lacustrine limestone quarries (Fig. 5).
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Arab J Sci Eng
Borrow pits
• Oum Er-Rabia borrow pits, consisting of alluvial deposits
of the Oum Er-Rabia River, constitute a prime area of
exploitation of borrow pits. Indeed, the extraction of allu-
vial deposits is made in several points along the bed of
the Oum Er-Rbia, corresponding to small floodplains and
deltas of the river’s tributaries. Aggregate extraction is
performed either in a traditional way by the private oper-
ators, or in mechanized way by a few companies. These
pits provide sand and pebbles of various origins and sizes
(material of the Atlas range, the Plateau Phosphates, Cen-
tral Morocco).
• Oued Derna borrow pits, of which there are five, are oper-
ated in the former beds of Oued Derna River to the Ouled
Yaich village, and two other similar pits are located in
the Taghzirt commune. The deposits are the same as that
extracted from Oum Er-Rabia River (sand and pebbles).
• Taghbalout N’ou Halima borrow pit, located at 6 km
southeast of El Ksiba city, provides natural crushed
aggregates designed for the construction of buildings.
Arab J Sci Eng
Fig. 4 Location of ornamental stone quarries
• Mghila borrow pit, situated at the bed of the Adouz
stream not far from Mghila village, is operated by the
private operators for extraction of sand and pebble.
Dolomite quarries
Dolomite is a carbonated sedimentary rock composed of
at least 50 % of dolomite; it is a carbonate of calcium and
magnesium CaMg(CO3 ). Many quarries exploiting this rock
type were opened in recent years. Most of these quarries are
found throughout the North-Atlasic fault where the rocks are
intensely crushed (brecciated).
• Khemis Ouled Ayyad quarries: Located at 50 km (air dis-
tance) southwest of Beni-Mellal city, twelve quarries are
operated to extract aggregates used primarily for the con-
struction of road foundation layers. The facies operated is
represented by a brecciated Liassic material, and it con-
sists of gray dolomite, dolomitic limestone, and greenish
marl.
• Tanougha quarries: Located about 25 km northeast of
Beni-Mellal city, seven quarries are exploited intensely
in brecciated dolomite. The operated material presents a
rather homogeneous composition made of massive Lias-
sic dolomites occurred in metric beds, and locally crossed
by calcite-lined fractures and brecciated zones.
• El Ksiba quarries: To 3 km southeast of El Ksiba city,
several quarries are operated in Lias dolomites, which
are crushed and reduced to the powder. Indeed, the
Liassic series outcropping widely in El Ksiba Atlas
consists of massive-bedded dolomite (0.8 to 1.5 m)
having gray-pink more or less dark patina. These
dolomites are scattered in the vicinity of internal major
faults.
• Afourer quarries: These quarries are mined in brecciated
Liassic dolomite, which is generally gray in color, and
arranged in metric beds intercalated with centimetric
beds of marl. They are exploited for sands from the brec-
ciated and altered areas.
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Fig. 5 Location of aggregate quarries
• Foum el Anser quarry: One quarry of crushed dolomite
is located in the Foum el Anser region, at an altitude of
845 m in the neighborhood of a large fault.
• Adouz quarries: Two dolomite quarries located in
southerly of Adouz village at altitudes of 820 and 980 m,
are operated by the same private owner. The dolomite
rocks are massive, and therefore, their extraction can
involve blasting with explosives and heavy machinery.
Lacustrine limestone
Along the right bank of the Oum Er-Rbia, at 2 km east of
Had El Bradia village, there are several artisanal quarries
operating in lacustrine limestone, which outcrops widely in
the valley of Oum Er-Rbia River as well as outcrops on the
right bank of the same river. Attributed to Moulouyan age,
lacustrine limestone unconformably overlies on the tertiary
units.
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Arab J Sci Eng
7 Analyses of Theme Layers
7.1 Relationship Between Geological Formations
and Quarries
The overlay of the quarries and geological formations themes
enabled to locate these quarries relative to its geological envi-
ronment (Figs. 2, 4, 5).
It is noted that the sand and gravel pits are mainly operated
in the quaternary alluvium. The existence of the cliffs along
the rivers indicates the presence of hard units represented
by terraces and lacustrine limestone of late quaternary age,
representing the potential reserves of quarry materials.
The dolomite quarries are situated along the piedmont
zone, the vicinity of a series of faults. The exploited dolomite
is the lower Lias limestone. The onyx limestone used as orna-
mental stone consists of fault-filling by calcite derived from
Arab J Sci Eng
Fig. 6 Location of aggregate (AQ) and ornamental stone (OSQ) quarries in relation to tectonic and highway system
the dissolution of the surrounding limestone units. The traver-
tine units are generally situated in the Atlas piedmont and
are the origin of lower and middle Lias limestone. We note
the presence of one quarry that operates in igneous gabbroic
rocks and another operates in the lower Lias limestone in the
region.
7.2 Relationship Between Hydrographic Network
and Quarries
Whatever their nature, quarried materials in the study zone
are commonly the results of the weathering and erosion of
bedrock and subsequent transportation and deposition of the
material by water.
We note that the sand and gravel pits are located near
Oum Er-Rabia and Oued Derna Rivers (Fig. 3), resulting
from continuous supply of materials arising from the erosion
of Atlas formations, especially at flood periods.
The dolomites quarried are localized to the Atlas pied-
mont along the North-Atlasic fault (Fig. 3). They are affected
by intense fracturing that allowed water infiltration, which
is responsible for a significant alteration. This fracturing
accompanied by alteration makes brecciated dolomite very
crumbly.
As for the ornamental rocks located in the Atlas or in
its piedmont, their formation was also linked particularly
to infiltration-runoff processes; that is the case of limestone
onyx which is the result of dissolution and precipitation of
calcite controlled by karst processes within opening-mode
fractures and karts.
7.3 Relationship Among Tectonics, Quarries,
and Highway System
The Atlasic orogeny caused the severe folding and deforma-
tion in the Atlasic chain. The rocks were severely deformed
and compressed and even crushed along the major faults.
Consequently, the structural process has an important role in
setting up of various exploited materials. Indeed, along the
rivers, the cliffs resulting from tectonic activity indicate the
presence of lacustrine limestones that are used as building
materials (Fig. 6). Also, along the northern boundary of the
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High-Atlas, the existence of a series of faults produced brec-
ciated dolomite, naturally crushed, and easily exploitable.
Water percolating through faults in the limestone was respon-
sible for onyx deposition.
Among the criteria that ought to be considered in quarry
opening are the location and access conditions to the quarry.
Both criteria are related to road infrastructure. In the studied
area, the market is primarily served by a complex road net-
work consisting of national, provincial, and secondary roads.
8 Conclusion
Located between the High-Atlas to the east and the Tadla
plain to the west, the Beni-Mellal region has enormous and
diversified potential of building materials and ornamental
rocks. This study provided inventory and much informa-
tion on the origin of quarry materials and on their geologic
and geographic localizations. The data processing and analy-
ses were facilitated by the use of GIS methods, specifically
ArcView 3.2 GIS software. The results of these analyses
revealed that aggregates are more common and widely dis-
tributed in the region and occur in a variety of geologic
environments. These aggregates are produced predominantly
from sand and gravel mined from small floodplains, deltas,
and terraces of the Oum Er-Rbia and Derna Rivers and their
tributaries, and carbonate rocks that consist of limestone and
dolomite highly brecciated and altered. These rocks naturally
crushed will certainly be the most important source (in ton-
nage and quality terms), providing crushed stone aggregate
responding society’s growing needs in the region. Also, Atlas
of Beni-Mellal offers huge reserves of ornamental rocks.
Indeed, the travertine masses extend from El Ksiba to Afourer
area. The limestone onyx deposited along the geological
discontinuities (filling karst, lentils, fractures, interbedded
layers) in dolomite and limestone rocks of Lias.
The study has produced also maps showing spatial distrib-
ution of quarry sites and their relationships with hydrographic
system, transportation network, tectonic, and geology. It has
been found that natural crushed stone quarries commonly
occur in wide band along the North-Atlasic Fault, and alluvial
aggregates take place along the major rivers. All these stone
quarries are located within 3 km of secondary or principal
roads, illustrating that are more easily accessible, thus facili-
tating the disposal and delivery of the construction materials
at the marketplace.
Following this study, we found that the quarrying sector
has several deficiencies, including lack of quarry inventory,
lack of professionalism and organization, and sometimes
environmental abuse. However, this study provides a useful
first assessment that can then be used to guide the acquisi-
tion of further data more detailed on stone quarry exploration,
valorization, and management in the region.
123
Arab J Sci Eng
Acknowledgments This work was conducted in collaboration with
A. El Mir and M. Rbaibi of the Regional Delegation of Energy and
Mining (Beni-Mellal). We are grateful for their support.
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