Petrography and Geochemistry for Proposal of Geodynamic Model For The Irbiben Granite in Tagragra d’Akka inlier, (western Anti-Atlas, Morocco)

Abstract

This study aims to contribute to improve the knowledge on the setting of the Irbiben granites, located south of the gold deposit of this locality (Tagragra d'Akka buttonhole, Anti-Atlas, Morocco). The petrographic characterization showed leucocratic porphyry rocks, with a mineralogy dominated by quartz and phenocrysts of plagioclase, alkali feldspars of sometimes centimetric size as well as very small sulphides of metallic luster. Two generations of quartz have been identified: a QIquartz with undulating extinction phenocrysts testifying to an episode of deformation orchestrated in this inlier, and a QII quartz with more rounded and limpid minerals indicating an intense silicification. Plagioclase and alkali feldspars are deeply altered to sericite and epidote. Geochemical characterization classifies these rocks as calc-alkaline series granites, rich in potassium, with a peraluminous character indicating their crustal origin. Their arc geochemical signature, Ba enrichment, and negative Nb, Ti, and P anomalies are characteristic of a subduction zone. This subduction could be associated with an episode of convergence between an oceanic lithosphere located in the north and the West African craton in the south, as shown by the proposed geodynamic model.