The Lower Anti-Atlas Supergroup (LAAS) constitutes a major Proterozoic sedimentary archive exposed along the northern margin of the West African Craton (WAC), yet its age, internal stratigraphy, and regional correlations remain controversial. This study integrates detailed sedimentological investigations, lithostratigraphic correlations, petrography, and new LA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon geochronology from the Igherm Inlier (western Anti-Atlas, Morocco) to refine the evolution of the LAAS. Three representative stratigraphic sections allow subdivision of the succession into five lithostratigraphic units: the Coarse-Grained Quartz Sandstone, Lower Siliciclastic–Carbonate, Quartz Sandstone, Upper Siliciclastic–Carbonate, and Volcanic units. These units are correlated, from base to top, with the Tasserda Formation, Ifrane n’Taghatine Formation, Oumoula (Mimount) Formation, Tizi n’Taghatine Group, and Tachdamt Formation recognized elsewhere in the Anti-Atlas. Sedimentological data indicate deposition within a long-lived shallow-water system that evolved from tide-influenced braided fluvial channels, through mixed tidal-flat and peritidal platform environments, to extensional basaltic volcanism. Newly identified reworked volcanic tuffs from the Lower Siliciclastic–Carbonate Unit yield a maximum depositional age of 1857 ± 33 Ma, providing the first direct temporal constraint for this interval. Additional maximum depositional ages of 1880 ± 30 Ma for the Oumoula Formation and 1970 ± 29 Ma and 1904 ± 41 Ma for the Tizi n’Taghatine Group are consistent with previously published constraints. Detrital zircon populations with predominantly Paleoproterozoic and subordinate Archean dates were likely derived from the WAC. Correlation of zircon age spectra with those of the Taoudeni Basin supports the existence of extensive intracratonic depositional systems that evolved across the WAC during the Nuna and Rodinia supercontinent cycles, culminating in Tonian syn-rift magmatism represented by the ca. 883 Ma Tachdamt Formation.

This study provides sedimentological and stratigraphic insights into the Ediacaran fluviolacustrine successions of the Amane-n’Tourhart and Tifernine basins. The Amane-n’Tourhart Basin developed in a post-caldera volcanic setting along the margin of the Oued Dar’a Caldera, whereas the Tifernine Basin formed in a pre-caldera tectono-volcanic context associated with caldera development. The successions provide valuable information about the sedimentary processes operating in late Ediacaran continental environments. Field observations, facies analysis, and petrography reveal a variety of siliciclastic, carbonate, mixed siliciclastic–carbonate, and volcaniclastic facies. These facies form associations indicative of alluvial fan, floodplain, and shallow-water lacustrine settings. Alluvial fan deposits are dominated by conglomerates and sandstones forming braided systems. Fluviolacustrine successions show a transition from clay-rich siltstones with calcareous nodules to nodular and massive limestones, marking a gradual shift from fluvial to lacustrine conditions. Laminated limestones and stromatolites indicate intermittent microbial activity that contributed to carbonate precipitation. Sedimentation was strongly influenced by volcanic inputs and climatic fluctuations, alternating between humid and arid conditions. These factors drove cycles of channel incision, sediment infill, and lake expansion–contraction, illustrating the dynamic interplay of volcanism and climate that modulated deposition in these Ediacaran continental basins, with broad relevance to our understanding of this critical window in the Earth’s history.

This study investigates the provenance, weathering history, and tectono-sedimentary evolution of Lower Ediacaran siliciclastic rocks of the Imiter Formation (Saghro Group, Imiter Sub-inlier, Anti-Atlas, Morocco) deposited along the northern margin of Gondwana. An integrated approach combining petrography, whole-rock major and trace element geochemistry, rare earth elements (REE), Sm–Nd isotopes, and organic geochemistry (TOC and δ¹³Cₒᵣg) was used to constrain sediment sources and deposi-tional conditions. Geochemical proxies, including Th/Sc, La/Sc, and Zr/Sc ratios, to-gether with REE distribution patterns, indicate that the sediments were mainly derived from felsic to intermediate rocks of the upper continental crust, with only minor sedi-ment recycling. The negative εNd(t) values (−8.5 to −6.2) and Paleoproterozoic Nd model ages (1.6–2.1 Ga) further suggest erosion of evolved crustal sources related to the West African Craton. Weathering indices (CIA, CIW, PIA) suggest weak to moder-ate chemical weathering under predominantly arid conditions. Redox-sensitive proxies (V–Ni, V/Cr, V/(V+Ni)) and low TOC contents (0.1–0.3 wt.%) indicate deposition under mainly oxic to dysoxic conditions with only transient reducing episodes. Tectonic dis-crimination diagrams, supported by regional magmatism, point to sedimentation within an extensional basin evolving from active margin to continental rift conditions during the late Pan-African orogeny. The Imiter Formation records a system dominat-ed by crustal recycling, syn-rift tectonics, and dynamic redox conditions in a shallow marine environment.

This study investigates the provenance, weathering history, and tectono-sedimentary evolution of lower Ediacaran siliciclastic rocks of the Imiter Formation (Saghro Group, Imiter Sub-inlier, Anti-Atlas, Morocco) deposited along the northern margin of Gondwana. An integrated approach combining petrography, whole-rock major and trace element geochemistry, rare earth elements (REEs), Sm–Nd isotopes, and organic geochemistry (TOC and δ¹³C_org) was used to constrain sediment sources and depositional conditions. Geochemical proxies, including Th/Sc, La/Sc, and Zr/Sc ratios, together with REE distribution patterns, indicate that the sediments were mainly derived from felsic-to-intermediate rocks of the upper continental crust, with only minor sediment recycling. The negative εNd(t) values (−8.5 to −6.2) and Paleoproterozoic Nd model ages (1.6–2.1 Ga) further suggest the erosion of evolved crustal sources related to the West African Craton. Weathering indices (CIA, CIW, PIA) suggest weak-to-moderate chemical weathering under predominantly arid conditions. Redox-sensitive proxies (V–Ni, V/Cr, V/(V + Ni)) and low TOC content (0.1–0.3 wt.%) indicate deposition under mainly oxic-to-dysoxic conditions, with only transient reducing episodes. Tectonic discrimination diagrams, supported by regional magmatism, point to sedimentation within an extensional basin evolving from active-margin to continental rift conditions during the late Pan-African orogeny. The Imiter Formation records a system dominated by crustal recycling, syn-rift tectonics, and dynamic redox conditions in a shallow marine environment.