Publications

This field excursion emphasizes paleoenvironments, litho- and biostratigraphy, sequence boundaries, volcanic ash occurrences, and potential for intercontinental correlation of a number of important Ediacaran and Cambrian sections of the Moroccan Atlas regions. The arrangement of the sections visited during the field excursion from December 2 to 5, 2006, begins on the northern slope of the western Anti-Atlas with the lowest Cambrian at Tiout and the lower part of the trilobite-bearing Cambrian at Tazemmourt. Complete sections through the trilobite-bearing Cambrian in the Lemdad syncline feature the Cambrian in the western High Atlas range. The subsequent drive across the western Anti-Atlas shows aspects of post-Pan-African Proterozoic, siliciclastic facies with archaeocyathan bioherms in the Issafen Syncline, and spectacular slump-folding of the Lie de vin Formation as well as a siliciclastical-dominated Lower and fossiliferous Middle Cambrian in the Tata region. The final day in the field features the Devonian and the siliciclastic Middle Cambrian along the southern flank of the western Anti-Atlas and carbonate-dominated Lower Cambrian at the western rim of the Anti-Atlas.

Information on the stops includes a summary of the lithologic sequence and, if available, a complete list of faunas found at successive levels. The sample numbers with the prefix F refer either to the faunal levels of HUPÉ (1953, 1959) or SDZUY (1978); sample numbers with a comma indicate a precisely measured level above the base of the section or unit; other samples refer to horizons reported by G. GEYER (e.g., 1986, 1988b, 1990c, 1998) or to subsequent collections by the authors and W. HELDMAIER (1997).