Clay mineralogical evidence of Quaternary paleoclimate in Northern Morocco

Abstract

The paleoclimate during the Pleistocene period can be deduced from the study of the composition of clay minerals in the marine terraces of the Tangier region, Morocco. In the study, samples collected from the study area's deposits were examined to determine the different clay mineral compositions and their palaeoclimatic implications. Consequently, quantitative assemblages of clay minerals were obtained by studying data from X-ray diffraction (XRD) diffractograms. These assemblages are mainly composed of illite and minor quantities of montmorillonite. The dominance of the mineral illite reveals that the region experienced dry, arid climatic conditions, and the montmorillonite shows seasonal climatic periods. These data are strongly correlated with Pleistocene climatic conditions in the Mediterranean region.