Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 2021, 9, 136-153 https://www.scirp.org/journal/gep ISSN Online: 2327-4344 ISSN Print: 2327-4336 The Eocene Bryozoans of Bekrit-Timahdite Formation, Middle-Atlas, Morocco: Taxonomy, Paleoenvironments and Paleoclimates Implications Mohammed El Attmani1*, Amine Bouwafoud1, Salem Elouariti1, Hicham Si Mhamdi2, Abdelmajid Ben Bouziane1, Mustapha Mouflih1 1Sedimentary Basins Dynamic and Geological Correlations Laboratory, Department of Geology, Faculty of Science Ben M’sik, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco 2Laboratory of Applied Geology, Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques Errachidia, Moulay Ismaïl University, Meknes, Morocco How to cite this paper: El Attmani, M., Abstract Bouwafoud, A., Elouariti, S., Mhamdi, H. S., Bouziane, A. B., & Mouflih, M. (2021). Located in the North-West of the African continent, the Moroccan Middle The Eocene Bryozoans of Bekrit-Timahdite Atlas constitutes an intra-continental chain within the Atlas domain. It is Formation, Middle-Atlas, Morocco: Tax- onomy, Paleoenvironments and Paleocli- known by several global geological events such as the Paleocene-Eocene crisis mates Implications. Journal of Geoscience during the Paleogene, which corresponds to one of the hottest periods on and Environment Protection, 9, 136-153. earth with Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM). A taxonomic study https://doi.org/10.4236/gep.2021.93008 carried out on the carbonate deposits of the Bekrit-Timahdite Formation Received: December 8, 2020 from three sections of the Bekrit syncline allowed the identification of 5 spe- Accepted: March 16, 2021 cies of the Cheilostome and Cyclostome Bryozoans (Cellaria rigida, Cellaria Published: March 19, 2021 sinuosa, Aimulosia lamellosa, Heteropora and Osthimosia) in bioclastic li- Copyright © 2021 by author(s) and mestones, nodular limestones, marly and sandy limestones. The interest of Scientific Research Publishing Inc. Bryozoans as indicators of paleoenvironments and paleoclimates was assessed This work is licensed under the Creative by examining current communities, in terms of depth evolution as richness Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). and abundance, distribution of taxonomic categories zoarium types, and http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ zooidal morphology. The depositional environment analysis of Bryozoans Open Access showed a shallow marine carbonate platform with low sedimentation energy where is registered a relatively warm paleoclimate. Keywords Bryozoans, Eocene, Taxonomy, Carbonate, Paleoenvironment, Middle-Atlas DOI: 10.4236/gep.2021.93008 Mar. 19, 2021 136 Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection M. E. Attmani et al. 1. Introduction The shallow marine carbonate deposits of the Bekrit-Timahdite Formation are largely developed in the Bekrit syncline. It contains faunal assemblages, domi- nated by Bryozoans which are aquatic invertebrates that live in colonies. They represent a biological diversity in the carbonate deposits of the Middle Atlas during the Paleogene period. Most Bryozoans taxa live in warm shallow marine waters with low sedimentation energy (Rosso & Sanfilippo, 2000; Hara, 2001; McKinney & Taylor, 2003; Ziko et al., 2010; Gordon & Taylor, 2015; Martha et al., 2016; Muftah & El-Safori, 2019; Ernst et al., 2019). Cheilostome and Cyclostome bryozoans are the most responsive in the Bekrit syncline. They have been previously listed by Herbig (1991). In this study a par- ticular interest is given to the well-preserved species in bioclastic limestones. The aim of this study is to identify and try to understand the distribution of Bryozoan’s fauna in the bioclastic limestones of the Bekrit-Timahdite Forma- tion. They will be studied in more taxonomic detail in order to define and clarify their true roles in the conservation of benthic habitats and ecosystems and in the end to determine paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. Taxonomic diversity and a revision of some morphological notions of Paleo- gene Bryozoans in the Moroccan Middle Atlas were made for each group. Thus, the surveys carried out allowed us to begin the revision for Cyclostmes end Cheilostomes Bryozoans. Several colonies of Cheilostomes are characteristic of a subtropical to tropical climate (Ryland & Hayward, 1977; Winston, 2004; Gri- schenko et al., 2007; Key et al., 2019). They have a zooecial polymorphism, formed by autozooïds performing the function of nutrition and heterozoïds represented by avicularium without Polypiers and unable to feed themselves (Ayari et al., 2008; Ayari et al., 2012; Ziko et al., 2016). 2. Geological Setting The Moroccan Middle Atlas is the north most mountain of the Atlas system, oriented NE-SW along an average 350 km. Located between the first hills of the Rif in the North and by the chain of the High Atlas in the South; it divides the Moroccan Meseta domains to the Eastern Meseta and Western Meseta. The Middle Atlas is the result of the Alpine events related to the opening of the Cen- tral Atlantic followed by the Alpine shortening. It was speared by the attempts of Triassic openings and the remobilization of the late variscan major faults zones (Ait Sliman, 1989; Herbig, 1991). Its structural-sedimentary evolution from the Jurassic to the present day was established by Fedan (1988) and Ait Sliman (2004). These authors describe two stages of structural-sedimentary evolution: ­ Structuring of intraplate basins during the Jurassic in relation to the Mesoge- ia; ­ Genesis of the intra-continental chain with Atlantic and then Mediterranean dependence. The Middle Atlas is subdivided into two domains: the Southern Middle Atlas DOI: 10.4236/gep.2021.93008 137 Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection M. E. Attmani et al. and the Northern Middle Atlas (Choubert & Marçais., 1952). The latter is subdi- vided into two sub-domains separated by the Northern Middle Atlas fault (Ter- mier, 1936): 1) The Middle Atlas Causse is characterized by the predominance of relatively flat carbonate layers of the Middle Jurassic (Charroud, 1990; Herbig, 1993). They are divided into faulted blocks along several NE-SW faults. The carbonate depo- sits of the Middle Atlas Causse are covered in many areas by Plio-quaternary basaltic flows from numerous volcanic apparatuses (Moukadiri, 1983; Harmand & Cantargel, 1984; Harmand & Mokadiri, 1986, El Azzouzi el al., 2010; Moutaj et al., 2019). 2) The folded Middle Atlas corresponds to the highest reliefs forming moun- tains oriented NW-SE (e.g.: Jbel Bounacer 3340 m and Jbel O-Salah 3190 m). These mountains form anticlines along major faults zone that turn locally into anticline ridge. The tight anticlines are separated by a large four synclines (Figure 1): The Bekrit Syncline (El Koubbat Syncline), the Bou Anguer Syncline, the Ain Nokra Syncline, and the Oudiksou Syncline (Tighboula Syncline). They Figure 1. Geographical location from Morocco to the African continent (a); the location of the Middle Atlas in the Moroccan Atlas domain (b); Geological map of the folded Middle Atlas according to Mountaj et al. (2019) (c). DOI: 10.4236/gep.2021.93008 138 Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection M. E. Attmani et al. are characterized by Cretaceous and Paleogene sedimentation (Charrière, 1990; Herbig, 1991; Herbig, 1993; Juidette, 2000; Mouflih et al., 2006; Mouflih, 2015; Charrière & Haddoumi, 2016). The Middle Atlas is fractured by several major fault zones; the most important is the Northern Middle Atlas Fault (N.M.A.F), the latter corresponds to a major lineament underlined by a crest line marking to the first Colo anticline ridge (Colo, 1961-1964). This fault separates the Tabular Cause to the NW from the folded Middle At- las to the SE. It is materialized by the lines of relief; from SW to NE we distin- guish Jbel Hayane, Foum Khneeg, Jbel Tisdadine, Jbel Ben Ij, cluse of Oued Derdourah and Jbel Tajda. The Northern Middle Atlas Fault (NMAF) played an important role in the tertiary sedimentation identifying a different stratigraphy. It separates a domain with a Cretaceous series and a domain without the Creta- ceous series (Charrière, 1990; Herbig, 1991; Herbig, 1993; Juidette, 2000; Ait Sliman, 2004; Moutaj et al., 2019). In the Bekrit Syncline (El Koubbat Syncline), located to the North of the Northern Middle Atlas Fault (NMAF), the Paleogene deposits in accordance with the Upper Cretaceous. The latter is made up of five Formations, of which El Koubbat Formation is the only one represented only in the Bekrit Syncline. It is characterized by bituminous and phosphate carbonate sedimentation (Mouflih et al., 2006; Mouflih, 2015; Chakir et al., 2019). In the Bou Angueur syncline, Cretaceous and Paleogene deposits begin with the Foum Khneeg Formation which lies in angular unconformity of the Middle Jurassic. The Foum Khneeg Formation is represented by phosphate limestone, marls, siltstones and silty-phosphate and marly-phosphate. This Formation is comparable to the Irbzer Formation, which is not outcropping in the Bou An- gueur syncline (Figure 3). The age of this Formation is spread between the Maastrichtian and the Danian (Colin & Tubace, 2004; Mebrouk et al., 2009). The Bekrit-Timahdite Formation (subject of this study) overlies the Irbzer continental Formation. It outcrops in the residual basins of Bekrit-Timahdite, Bou Anguer, Ain Nokra and Oudikssou. It is named the Sub-Atlas group by Herbig (1991). This Formation is characterized by carbonate sedimentation that shows stratiform stylolitisation, formed by bioclastic