Characterization the dynamics of transport of quartz grains in the Amizmiz watershed (Western High Atlas): Exoscopic approach

Abstract

Each natural environment is characterized by a set of factors of origin, which leave on the surface of quartz grains traces of shape and size characteristic of the factors that generated them. When grains move from one environment to another, these traces are exploited in specific ways. On quartz grains, two main categories of characteristics are observed: traces due to chemical actions, and traces due to mechanical actions. The aim of this study is to establish a comprehensive exoscopic study by identifying the traces of chemical action and the traces of mechanical action on the surface of quartz grains sampled from the Amizmiz watershed in Morocco's western High Atlas, in order to determine the environment in which the sediments were deposited, and to identify the phenomenorphic features and their location. The mechanical traces of the quartz grains treated in this study include crack marks, conchoidal breaks, microfractures and impact marks of various types. Traces of silica dissolution and efflorescence, indicative of chemical action, are also identified. The sedimentary history of the region can be discovered by superimposing these microstructures, as rivers transported quartz grains that evolved in the marine environment.