What types of fossils have been found in Morocco?

Question

Also, what type of plate boundaries are located nearest Morocco?

Answer 1

Is there some global conspiracy about Morocco and geology this year? So many Morocco questions. I'm not slamming you, it'd just weird. Anyway...



The nearest plate boundary is to the north, where Africa is subducting beneath Eurasia. This corresponds to what we see in the Atlas Mountains. In the framework of plate tectonics, the western Mediterranean region, including Morocco's Atlas system, should be regarded as a diffuse plate boundary in which the Atlas Mountains comprise narrow deformable zones bounding larger, relatively rigid crustal blocks.



However, when it comes to Morocco's fossil record, it is difficult to get a genuine accounting outside of the confines of a university or well-maintained museum, given that Morocco is rife with illegitimate fossil trade. If you go there as a tourist, you can but everything from the imprint of a leaf to a dinosaur femur from people who will gladly smile and tell you that they're real, when not only are they not associated with that part of the world, but they're made out of quick-dry putty.



The best that I can say are that trilobites and ammonites do really come from Morocco. Exact time frames and locations, though, I can't help with. Sorry about that.

Answer 2

Invertebrates - The Burgess Shale locality in British Columbia is probably the most famous invertebrate fossil site in the world. Trilobites, extinct three-lobed arthropods, are found in many localities around the world, such as Europe, Australia, China, Canada, and Utah. Some of the best preserved examples come from Morocco, Russia, and Oklahoma. Ammonites, related to the modern-day Nautilus, are famous from Europe and Madagascar, and are also found in Russia, South America, and even the United States. Insects in amber are commonly found along the Baltic Coastline and the Dominican Republic. Crinoids are unusual animals related to starfish and sea urchins. One of the most prolific areas for these fossil "sea lillies" is Crawfordsville, Indiana, although crinoids have been discovered in China and Australia.



Vertebrates - Dinosaurs are the world's most popular fossil vertebrates, and their fossils are most commonly found in the Western United States and Canada. Dino remains are also known from Europe, Africa, Argentina, and China. Aquatic reptiles, such as Mosasaurs and Plesiosaurs have been found in England, Morocco, Kansas, and Texas. Mammals, both large and small, are commonly exposed in the Badlands area of South Dakota and Nebraska. Alaska and Siberia are famous for beautifully preserved Mammoth fossils, ranging from teeth and tusks to complete animals. Fossil fish are relatively common in the fossil record. The Green River Formation of Southern Wyoming is world famous for both its variety of species and its sheer number of specimens. Complete fossil fish are also known from Europe, Lebanon, Brazil, and China. Shark fossils, especially teeth, are found all around the world. Some of the more well known fossil shark localities are the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, Chile, and Morocco.

Answer 3

Ebay always has some fossils from Morocco for sale. Trilobites are one of the most frequent, also large crinoids, and bones and teeth from Mosasaurs (a marine reptile from the Cretaceous)