Fractures distribution and basement-cover interaction in a polytectonic domain: A case study from the Saghro Massif (Eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco)

From the Neoproterozoic to Cenozoic, different extensional and transpressional tectonics events occurred during the Pan-African, Variscan and Alpine orogenic cycles in the Precambrian and Paleozoic terrains of the Saghro Massif of the eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco. This makes it a key zone to investigate fault distribution and basement-cover interactions. The present research aims to elaborate a detailed fracturation map and the structural interpretation of the Precambrian and Paleozoic outcrops in the northeastern part of the Saghro Massif. Sentinel-2A and Landsat-8 Oli images were used in conjunction with Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The remote sensing study was completed by an integrated interpretation including structural data from existing geological maps and our field investigations. The results show four fault systems, namely N–S to NNE-SSW, NE-SW to ENE-WSW, ENE to E-W, and NW-SE to WNW-ESE. Faults and folds geometry in the Paleozoic and Mezo-Cenozoic terrains were controlled by the reactivation of inherited basement structures such as faults and alternate competent and incompetent formations. The major mechanical discontinuities between Precambrian, Paleozoic and Mesozoic-Cenozoic terrains restrain the propagation of fractures from top to bottom during the Variscan and Atlasic orogenesis. The structural map established in this work helps to improve significantly the existing geological maps and to understand the architecture of the High Atlas foreland and overprinting relationships in the Saghro polytectonic massif. •Integrating remote sensing and geological data to faults mapping in the basement-cover context.•Characterizing the faults distribution in the Saghro polytectonic massif.•Understanding the architecture of the High Atlas foreland and overprinting relationships in the Saghro polytectonic massif.•Fractures controls on mineralization distribution in the Precambrian and Paleozoic Saghro massif.