La Géomorphologie De La Plage De Haouzia (Littoral Atlantique Marocain) : Origine Et Mise En Place De Ses Sédiments Actuels

Abstract

Geomorphological study of the range of Haouzia shows that the latter is more or less homogeneous but influenced by the mouth of the Oued Oum Rbia to the No. Spatio-temporal variation and the heterogeneity and beach profiles are related to the morphology of the beach and the coastal dynamics. Its sediments enrich carbonate because they feed Cretaceous land upstream of the mouth and the Quaternary calcarenites outcropping in the submerged area of the beach. Heavy minerals come from land metamorphic (Boulaouane) and magmatic (Sidi Saïd Maachou) through the Oued Oum Rbia and then taken over by the littoral drift. The weight content of heavy minerals is a good indicator of the direction of the transfer (no SW) of these minerals and sediment. The relative heterogeneity of sediments is favoured by the mouth of the Oued Oum Rbia allowing mixing of continental and marine sediments. It is all the more pronounced to the SW (breaking the waves) and winter (storms). Sediment (coarse and fine) are generally ranked especially in part SW (quiet environment despite the onslaught of the waves) and dune (sorting by the wind). Haouzia beach is under anthropogenic pressure to order, essentially, tourist who is behind the deforestation of the forest of Hameed and therefore the destabilization of the environment (including the beach). Urgent action is needed to protect this beach playing an important socio-economic role in the region.