The Achemmach region is located 40 km to the SW from Meknes city and 6 km to the NE frm the Hammam mine. It is part of the Paleozoic massif of Central Morocco. The studied area is formed by two Paleozoic rock-types: (i) a meta-sedimentary sequence composed of Middle Visean limestone and shale-sandstone withflyschoid of Upper Visean-Namurian age, and (ii) a magmatic rock series represented by volcanic rocks (pillow-lavas), hypovolcanic rocks (dolerites) and olivine-bearing gabbros.Based on the emplacement model, structural framework, relative chronology and petrogeochemistry of the magmatic rocks, for the first time in this area we distinguish: (i) dm to m-sized greenish pillow-lavas, with sharp borders and radius fractures underlined by fine greenish pelitic sedimentary intercalations, indicating recurrent volcanic activity in short episodes. Plagioclases and pyroxenes (augite) microlites, and more rarely phenocrystals, are recognizable in a glassy matrix devoid of recognizable olivine. (ii) Deformed, metamorphosed and altered dolerites dikes intrude the Middle to Upper Visean shale-sandstone formations. They have an overall NE-SW direction with a NW dip. They are composed of sericitized plagioclases, associated with partially to totally amphibolitized pyroxenes, tourmaline with differentdegrees of chlorite substitution, rutile and opaque minerals, in a microliticmesostasis and (iii) olivine-bearing gabbros, outcropping in variable dimensions (a few meters to 20 m). The olivine-bearing gabbros have a granular texture and are mainly made of plagioclases, pyroxenes, olivine, titanite, rutile, apatite and opaque minerals. All igneous minerals have undergone different degrees of replacement by secondary minerals; plagioclases are sericitized and albitized, pyroxenes are amphibolitized and epidotized and olivine is serpentinized and chloritized. Thepetro-geochemical study of these magmatic bodies demonstrates that pillow-lavas basalts and olivine-bearing gabbros have an alkaline affinity, while dolerites are thought to have a transitional alkaline affinity (alkaline-tholeiitic). Therefore, these formations would have been set up in anorogenic intra-continental geodynamic context, corresponding to a basin magmatism in the little evolved opening.

The tribological behavior of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) coatings was systematically investigated under various controlled gas environments in a vacuum chamber. A hemispherical steel pin was slid cyclically over a MoS₂-coated steel disk, prepared via high-speed powder spraying. The study measured both dynamic and static friction coefficients under different gaseous atmospheres, including high vacuum, helium, argon, dry air, and water vapor. In high vacuum (10⁻⁵ Pa), an ultra-low dynamic friction coefficient (µ ≈ 0.01) was observed, while increasing values were recorded with helium (µ ≈ 0.03), argon (µ ≈ 0.04), dry air (µ ≈ 0.17), and water vapor (µ ≈ 0.30). Static friction coefficients followed a similar trend, decreasing significantly upon evacuation of water vapor or injection of inert gases. Surface analyses revealed that friction in vacuum or inert gases promoted smooth wear tracks and basal plane alignment of MoS₂ crystallites, while exposure to water vapor led to rougher, more disordered wear surfaces. Mass spectrometry and energetic modeling of physisorption interactions provided further insights into gas–solid interfacial mechanisms. These results demonstrate that the tribological performance of MoS₂ coatings is highly sensitive to the surrounding gas environment, with inert and vacuum conditions favoring low friction through enhanced basal plane orientation and minimal gas–surface interactions. In contrast, water vapor disrupts this structure, increasing friction and surface degradation. Understanding these interactions is crucial for optimizing MoS₂-based lubrication systems in varying atmospheric or sealed environments.

The Azegour Mo-Cu-W skarn deposit, located on the northern side of the Western High Atlas, occurs in lower Cambrian volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The mineralizations are linked to the hydrothermal alterations that affected carbonated layers of the lower Cambrian age during the intrusion of the calc-alkaline hyperaluminous Azegour granite. Four stages of the skarn and ore mineral deposition have been identified as follows. Firstly, (i) the early prograde stage and (ii) the late prograde stage. These prograde stages are characterized by anhydrous minerals (wollastonite, garnets, and pyroxenes) associated with scheelite mineralization. Based on mineral chemistry studies, the early prograde stage is dominated by andradite (Ad_{72.81–97.07}) and diopside (Di_{61.80–50.08}) indicating an oxidized skarn; on the other hand, the late prograde stage is characterized by a high portion of grossular (Gr_{66.88–93.72}) and hedenbergite (Hd_{50.49–86.73}) with a small ratio of almandine (Alm_2.84–34.99), indicating “strongly reduced” or “moderately reduced” conditions with low f(O₂). The next two stages are (iii) the early retrograde stage and (iv) the late retrograde stage, which contain hydrous minerals (vesuvianite, epidote, chlorite, muscovite, and amphibole) associated with sulfide. Fluid inclusions from pyroxene and quartz (prograde skarn stage) display high homogenization temperatures and high to low salinities (468.3 to >600 °C; 2.1 to >73.9 wt% NaCl equiv.). The boiling process formed major scheelite mineralization during prograde skarn development from dominated hydrothermal magmatic fluid solutions. By contrast, fluid inclusions associated with calcite–quartz–sulfide (retrograde skarn stage) record lower homogenization temperatures and low salinities (160 to 358 °C; 2.0 to 11.9 wt% NaCl equiv.). The distribution of the major inclusions types from the two paragenetic stages are along the trend line of fluids mixing in the salinity–homogenization temperature (magmatic water), illustrating the genesis of ore-forming fluid by mixing with fluids of low temperatures and salinities (metamorphic and meteoric waters).

Sulfide and fluoride mineralization in the NNE Achemmach (NNE-A) area is located in the NE of Central Hercynian Morocco. In veins or when disseminated, it is hosted either in Visean sedimentary formations or in the magmatic bodies, described for the first time in this article and corresponding to pillow-lavas, dolerites and olivine-bearing gabbros. The mineralization is multiphase and results from the succession of the following three events: (i) an early high-temperature hydrothermal event (T ≈ 350–420 °C) associated with a simple primary sulfide paragenesis composed of pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena with gangue of quartz.(ii) The second event corresponds witha low temperature fluorite hydrothermal one (T≈ 120–160 °C), whereas the (iii) third is marked by, the deposition of a late sulfide paragenesis in a carbonate gangue within a moderate temperature (T≈ 200–250 °C). The temperatures of the paragenetic stages (350–400 °C) are estimated on the basis of the geothermometry constraints of the mineralogical assemblages, particularly the pyrrhotite-sphalerite equilibrium, in which the FeO content varies from 9.23 to 14.42 Wt%, and in the full study of their corresponding fluid phases. They are in perfect agreement with the fluid inclusion data of the first event.

To address friction and wear challenges in dry contacts, manufacturers often employ self-lubricating materials. Graphite and its derivatives stand out as particularly suitable due to their exceptional tribological properties. However, under intense friction conditions, graphite can experience a decline in lubricating efficiency due to severe abrasive wear. This abrasive damage results in elevated activated carbon surfaces with increased surface energy, fostering greater adhesion between sliding surfaces. The low friction coefficient of graphite is not an inherent property but rather a consequence of water vapor adsorption by the material. Beyond 150 °C, desorption of the vapor occurs, leading to a transition in the friction coefficient from µ = 0.1 to µ = 0.6. To address this issue, impregnation solutions for self-lubricating materials have been developed, with various compositions tailored to specific objectives. Common types include molybdenum disulfide, soft metals and polymers. In this predominantly experimental study, the impact of polymer impregnation on the evolution of friction force and wear rate in graphite material bearings subjected to a dry fretting contact under severe thermal stresses at 270 °C was investigated. Additionally, the mechanical stresses in the bearings throughout different phases of our tests were analyzed using a numerical model.

The Açdif gold deposit is located in the Zenaga Inlier (central Anti-Atlas), approximately 120 km southwest of the city of Ouarzazate. It hosts gold mineralization associated with a shear zone affecting the metamorphic and magmatic formations of the Eburnean basement. It mainly consists of alternating micaschists, augen gneisses, and orthogneiss. These crystalline rock assemblages are intruded by a variety of granitoids. These are the Azguemerzi granitoids, which are locally affected by Eburnean deformation. Subsequently, these facies are intersected by a swarm of mafic dykes, which show a variety of rocks ranging from microgabbro-dolerite to quartz diorite. Detailed mapping, petro-mineralogical investigations, and geochemistry of the major and trace elements of these magmatic intrusions suggests the following: (i) for the granodiorite rocks (deposited before the basic dykes), a calc-alkaline affinity, with a chemical signature similar to a syn-collisional context; (ii) for mafic dykes, a contemporaneous emplacement of these mafic intrusions with an evolutionary process controlled by fractional crystallization of the same magma of continental tholeiites, whose chemical composition is comparable to that of enriched MORBs (EMORBs). These continental tholeiites are related to a distensive tectonic context that would have affected the Zenaga inlier prior to the Pan-African orogeny.