The Heritage Interest of the Koudiat Ferjane Outcrops of Jebel Ardouz in the M’zoudia Region and Their Protection

The Jebel Ardouz massif west of Marrakech (M’zoudia region) is one of a few Paleozoic outcrops that arises from the Pliocene-Quaternary Houaz plain (Kebir, Lahalima, Alamma, and Ferjane). Locally, the first tree hills capped by the Devonian limestones have been exploited by the Asmar cement plant since 1974. The Koudiat Ferjane, not yet exploited, consists of undeformed and unmetamorphosed Devonian rocks. The exposed limestones have been sampled in order to determine their conodont microfauna. The samples delivered the best-preserved conodonts of the Jebilet region and attest the only reef structure of the Middle Devonian (Givetian) platform in the area, witnessing the expansion of the Prototethys between Gondwana and Laurussia. For the numerous sedimentological, paleontological, and paleoenvironmental features, the easily accessible Koudiat Ferjane represents a unique geological heritage site. It deserves protection for geotourism and education, both for scientific purposes and for the general public, and must therefore be preserved and protected from the upcoming destruction.