Geodynamic and Paragenetic Evolution of the Jbel Houanite Mineralization (Sb-Au; Pb-Zn) Eastern High Atlas of Morocco

Authors

  • Jaouad Choukrad Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University
  • Abdelkhiar Ait ali Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7224-0674
  • Mohammed Charroud Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University
  • Nacir El moutaouakkil University Mohamed V Rabat
  • Boubker Boukili University Mohamed V Rabat
  • Amine Talih Mohammed V University of Rabat

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2026.2.7

Keywords:

Antimony, lead, paragenetic evolution, Paleozoic basement, Meso-Cenozoic cover, Eastern High Atlas, Morocco

Abstract

The district of Jbel Houanite is an important metallogenic province rich in polymetallic mineralization (Sb-Au-Pb-Zn-Ba-Fe-Cu) located in the northern part of the Eastern High Atlas of Morocco, along the North High Atlasic Fault. The earliest identified mineralization corresponds to quartz veins rich in antimony and gold hosted in the Paleozoic formations, while the later mineralization corresponds to Pb-Zn deposits hosted in the Liassic limestones. Geological reconnaissance and mineral exploration work in the Jbel Houanite region determined the presence of antimony mineralization in the form of Stibnite (Sb2S3) and Bindheimite (Pb₂Sb₂O₆(O,OH)), while the lead mineralization in the sedimentary cover consists of galena (PbS) and cerussite (PbCO3). The lead anomalies are intimately linked to the presence of antimony, and this mineralization is the result of hydrothermal remobilization during the Atlas phases, which reactivated the basement faults, facilitating the establishment of lead mineralization in a Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) system. Petrographic and geochemical investigations of mineral parageneses allowed us to establish temporal relationships between mineralization events: the primary Sb-Au mineralization is linked to late Hercynian extensional tectonics, while the Pb-Zn mineralization is related to early Atlas compressional phases. This sequential evolution highlights a complex polyphase tectono-metallogenic history controlling ore deposition. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the genetic models of Sb-Au-Pb-Zn mineralization in the High Eastern Atlas and demonstrate the crucial role of tectonic inheritance and structural reactivation in ore formation and localization.

Downloads

Published

2026-03-13

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 2 (2026): No. 78

Section

Geology

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Jaouad Choukrad, Abdelkhiar Ait ali, Mohammed Charroud, Nacir El moutaouakkil, Boubker Boukili, Amine Talih

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons-BY

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

In agreeing this form, you certify that:

  1. You read the ethical codex of the RGN zbornik available at journal web.
  2. You submitted work is your original work, and has not previously been published and does not include any form of plagiarism.
  3. You own copyright in the submitted work, and are therefore permitted to assign the licence to publish to RGN zbornik.
  4. Your submitted work contains no violation of any existing copyright or other third party right or any material of an obscene, libellous or otherwise unlawful nature.
  5. You have obtained permission for and acknowledged the source of any illustrations, diagrams or other material included in the work of which you are not the copyright owner.
  6. You have taken due care to ensure the accuracy of the work, and that, to the best of your knowledge, there are no false statements made within it.
  7. All co-authors of this submitted work are aware of, and in agreement with, the terms of this licence and that the submitted manuscript has been approved by these authors.

 

Publication licence

You retain copyright in your submitted work, according to journal license policy (CC-BY). By signing this form you agree that RGN zbornik may publish it under the publication licence. In summary the licence allows the following:

Anyone is free:

  • To copy, distribute, display, and perform the work.
  • To make derivative works.

 

Under the following conditions:

  • The original author must always be given credit.
  • The work may not be used for commercial purposes.
  • If the work is altered, transformed, or built upon, the resulting work may only be distributed under a licence identical to this one.

 

Exceptions to the licence

In addition to publishing the work printed under the above licence, RGN zbornik will also enable the work to be visible online.

The journal editorial can change the licence rules anytime but it cannot retroactively restrict author(s) rights.

 

How to Cite

Choukrad, J., Ait ali, A. ., Charroud, M. ., El moutaouakkil, N. ., Boukili, B., & Talih, A. (2026). Geodynamic and Paragenetic Evolution of the Jbel Houanite Mineralization (Sb-Au; Pb-Zn) Eastern High Atlas of Morocco. Rudarsko-geološko-Naftni Zbornik, 41(2), 97-112. https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2026.2.7