Mauritanide Belt

Paleogeographic reconstruction of the supercontinent Pangaea, including the Central Pangean Mountains of which the Mauritanide Belt formed part of.

The Mauritanide Belt is an ancient orogen running parallel to the west coast of Africa from Morocco to Guinea-Bissau. The orogeny that formed the Mauritanide Belt was active between 320 and 270 million years ago in the Carboniferous and Permian. During this time period the eastern nappes of the belt thrusted over rocks of Devonian age in the Taoudeni Basin. During the Triassic the Mauritanide Belt was split from the Appalachian Mountains (with which it was previously a single orogen) as the Atlantic Ocean opened.^[1]

References[]

^ Villeneuve, Michel (2005). "Paleozoic basins in West Africa and the Mauritanide thrust belt". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 43 (1–3): 166–195. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.012.

v t Major African geological formations
Plates	Major plates: African Plate Minor plates: Somali Plate Microplates: Lwandle Plate Madagascar Plate Rovuma Plate Seychelles Plate Victoria Microplate
Cratons and shields	Arabian-Nubian Shield Congo Craton Kaapvaal Craton Kalahari Craton Saharan Metacraton Tanzania Craton Tuareg Shield West African Craton Zimbabwe Craton
Shear zones	Aswa Dislocation Central African Shear Zone Foumban Shear Zone Kandi Fault Zone Mwembeshi Shear Zone
Orogens	Alpine Orogen Cape Fold Belt Damara Orogen East African Orogen Eburnean Orogen Gondwanide Orogen Kibaran Orogen Kuunga Orogen Mauritanide Belt Pan-African orogens Terra Australis Orogen
Rifts	Afar Triangle Anza trough Bahr el Arab rift Benue Trough Blue Nile rift East African Rift Gulf of Suez Rift Melut Basin Muglad Basin Red Sea Rift West and Central African Rift System White Nile rift
Sedimentary basins	Angola Basin Aoukar Blue Nile Basin Chad Basin Congo Basin El Djouf Karoo Basin Iullemmeden Basin Murzuq Basin Niger Delta Basin Ogaden Basin Ouled Abdoun Basin Owambo Basin Sirte Basin Taoudeni Basin Tindouf Basin Turkana Basin
Mountain ranges	Aïr Mountains Atlas Mountains Aurès Mountains Bambouk Mountains Blue Mountains Cameroon line Central Pangean Mountains Chaillu Mountains Drakensberg Ethiopian Highlands East African mountains Great Escarpment Great Karas Mountains Guinée forestière Hoggar Mountains Imatong Mountains Jebel Uweinat Loma Mountains Mandara Mountains Marrah Mountains Mitumba Mountains Nuba Mountains Rif Mountains Rwenzori Mountains Sankwala Mountains Serra da Leba Serra da Chela Teffedest Mountains Tibesti Mountains
Inselbergs (aka koppie)	Anti-Atlas Jugurtha Tableland Mont Niénokoué Mulanje Massif Wase Rock Zuma Rock List of inselbergs