Site plan analysis

                   2D picture of the site

I chose this plan because it is close to the river yet far enough in case of floods. It is a 20m/20m square, which makes it 400 m². However, the Riad as a building will only be 255m². 

This area is a village called Imlil. Which was severely damaged by the last earthquake in September 2023.

According to Khatla (2023). Nearly 6000 houses were destroyed whilst 20000 were partly demolished.

Site from a Google Earth 3d perspective:

3d perspective of the region using Google Earth:

Analysis of the natural aspect of the Imlil area:

Imlil is situated at the head of the Rehraya River on the northern slopes of the Toubkal Massif of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. It is at 1700 metres above sea level in a widening of the valley where three tributaries join the Rehraya. It is in many ways untypical of Berber villages in that it is situated in a valley "basin" rather than on the steep valley sides and much of it lies below, rather than above, the level of irrigation. 

Because of the basin siting, the houses are not built on top of each other traditionally but form a long street following the course of the river. (Discover Limited, 2015)

Vegetation:

The site is located on the northern slope of Jebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa. It includes a permanent watercourse, the Réghaya wadi, and further upstream, a fast-flowing freshwater mountain stream, Assif n'Aît Mizane, both classified among sites of biological interest and ecological of Morocco.

The vegetation cover varies as one descends, from forested steppes on mountainous shales to dense forest and Mediterranean scrub overlooking the lower reaches. The rocky course of the river is home to aquatic and shoreline plants, cultivated terraces, and countless orchards. (Ministere de la transition énergétique et du développement durable, 1996)

Geology

The High Atlas of Marrakech is part of the intracontinental chain of the High Atlas, the most important morphological element in Morocco. Its altitude is generally higher in its central and western parts than in its eastern part. It separates the Atlantic plateaus and plains, to the north and west, and the Saharan and anti-Atlas domain, to the south and southeast. This chain constitutes a mountainous barrier much longer than it is wide (800 km long / 40 to 80 km wide). Geographers have distinguished three comparable parts; the Western High Atlas, the Central High Atlas, and the Eastern High Atlas (Michard, 1976; Michard et al., 2008).

The High Atlas of Marrakech is an integral part of the Western High Atlas, it includes the highest point of Morocco and North Africa (4167 m at Jbel Toubkal). It is from these high altitudes that the large wadis of the northern slope of the Marrakech region arise: the N’Fis, Rdat, Zat, Ourika, and Rhéraia wadis.

This Alpine intracontinental belt formed during Cenozoic times as a response to crustal shortening. It exhibits abundant Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks which outcrop continuously along its axis. On its eastern and northern flanks, Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks are unconformably overlain by Mesozoic‐Cenozoic succession (Triassic and Lower to Middle Jurassic formations). The pre‐Mesozoic basement is exposed in several inliers of the High Atlas, forming the most elevated areas of the Western High Atlas. The Precambrian basement is composed of metamorphic rocks and granitoids. The Paleozoic succession ranges from Lower Cambrian to Carboniferous and is mostly characterized by deformed clastic rocks. The Mesozoic succession of the High Atlas belt started with the Late Permian‐Triassic red beds (conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones, and mudstones), unconformably resting on the Lower Paleozoic rocks or on the Precambrian basement. These continental deposits (Fabuel‐Perez et al., 2009) represent the detrital infilling of basins developed during the Late Permian‐Triassic Atlasic pre‐rifting phase. The pre‐rift deposits are capped by basalt that provides absolute ages of about 200 Ma corresponding to the Triassic‐Jurassic transition (Marzoli et al, 2004). The overlying limestones and dolomites represent the transgressive Lower Liassic platform. The Upper Liassic‐Lower Dogger (from Toarcian to Bajocian) are varicolored marls and reefal limestones underlying Bathonian red sandstones and silty shales (Ellouz et al., 2003). The Cretaceous is characterized by red sandstones and conglomerates (Gauthier, 1957) evolving to platform white limestones of the Cenomanian‐Turonian age. During the Upper Cretaceous‐Paleogene, the sedimentation is mainly continental and lacustrine with minor marine bioclastic limestones of Eocene age (Marzoqi and Pascal, 2000). The Neogene continental deposits, occurring above a regional unconformity, resulted essentially from the syn-deformation erosion of the mountain belt (Miocene‐Pliocene molasses). The post‐Jurassic deposits have been largely eroded into the High Atlas being preserved only in a few limited outcrops.

The Ourika, Rheraia, and N'Fis watersheds are developed on two major geological formations: the Precambrian metamorphic intrusive rocks and the Paleozoic sedimentary formations. Minor outcrops of Triassic siltstones, and Mesozoic calcareous and marlaceous cover are also observed in the downstream parts of the watersheds.

Fig. 1. Simplified geological map of the Marrakech High Atlas and N–S geological cross section. Insert location of the main structural domains of Morocco. 1: Precambrian, 2: Paleozoic; 3: Trias; 4: Cretaceous; 5: Eocene; 6: Miocene; 7: Mio-Pliocene volcanic rocks; 8: Quaternary.

Our Riad setup area is located in a narrow, rugged part of the range. The river networks developed on the northern slopes of the High Atlas Mountains present asymmetrical watersheds. The right bank of the main river (Rheraia) crossing the village of Imlil is more developed (68%). The rocky materials encountered in this area date mainly from the Precambrian, Primary, and Permo-Triassic. The Precambrian, in the Horst of Rheraia, is essentially made up of eruptive terrains whose granite constitutes the bedrock of all the red sandstone plateaus. The latter appears, intermixed with lavas (Andesites). The sedimentary formations of the primary era are made up of limestone at the base, topped with quartzites and especially green and gray shales. The beautiful Imlil valley shows an excellent stratigraphic section, going from the Triassic to the Precambrian of Toubkal, and crossed by the large faults of the axial zone of the Precambrian block (Sidi Fars fault, Tizi Oussem Fault…). At the level of this valley, the ante-permotriassic surface was fossilized under a very thick cover of detrital deposits. It is essentially composed of conglomerates and sandstones topped by immense flows of doleritic basalts. The dominant Cretaceous structures are in reversed series, overlapped by Precambrian sections. Paleozoic and Triassic geostructures infiltrated by a fault-dominated Tahannaout and crossed by the Rheraia river.

Climate:

The climatic conditions of Imlil are characterized by a warm and temperate atmosphere. In winter, there is much more rain in Imlil than in summer. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification identifies this particular weather phenomenon as belonging to the Csb category. The temperature at this location is approximately 8.1 °C, as determined by statistical analysis. About 475 mm of precipitation occurs each year.

The fluctuation in precipitation is notable, with a difference of 63 mm observed between the least rained month and the most rained month. The average temperature during the year varies from 17.3 °C.

The month with the highest relative humidity is December (56.79%). The month with the lowest relative humidity is July (27.56%). The month with the highest number of rainy days is March (8.57 days). The month with the lowest number is July (1.77 days).

REFERENCES:

• Ministere de la transition énergétique et du développement durable, (1996) Plan  Directeur  des  Aires  protégées du Maroc SIBE CONTINENTAUX/Vol.2.
• Delcaillau, B. Laville, E. Amhrar, M. Namous, M. Dugué, O. Pedoja, K. (2010) Quaternary evolution of the Marrakech High Atlas and morphotectonic evidence of activity along the Tizi N’Test Fault, Morocco. Geomorphology, 118(3–4), pp. 262–279.
• Discover Limited. (2015) Rural Settlement in the High Atlas Mountains: A Case Study of the Ait Mizane Valley.
• Ellouz, N. Patriat, M. Gaulier, JM. Bouatmani, R. Saboundji, S. (2003) From rifting to Alpine inversion: Mesozoic and Cenozoic subsidence history of some Moroccan basins. Sedim. Geol. 156: 185–212.
• Fabuel‐Perez, I. Redfern, J. Hodgetts, D. (2009) Sedimentology of an intra‐montane riftcontrolled fluvial dominated succession: The Upper Triassic Oukaimeden Sandstone Formation, Central High Atlas, Morocco. Sedimentary Geol. 218: 103‐140.
• Gauthier, H. (1957) Contribution à l'étude géologique des terrains post liasiques des bassins du Dadès et du Haut Todra (Maroc méridional). Notes Memoires Service Géologique.
• Khatla, K. (2023) Reconstruction post-séisme : “Les spécificités des villages doivent être préservées” (experts) - Médias24. Médias24. https://medias24.com/2023/09/13/reconstruction-post-seisme-les-specificites-des-villages-doivent-etre-preservees-experts/
• Marzoli, A. Bertrand, H. Knight, KB. Cirilli, S. Buratti, N. Verati, C. Nomade, S. Renne, PR. Youbi, N. Martini, R. Allenbakh, K. Neuwerth, R. Rapaille, C. Zaninetti, L. Bellieni, G. (2004) Synchronism of the Central Atlantic magmatic province and the Triassic‐Jurassic boundary climatic and biotic crisis. Geology 32: 973‐976.
• Marzoqi, M. Pascal, A. (2000) Séquences de dépots et tectono‐eustatisme à la limite Crétacé/Tertiaire sur la marge sud‐téthysienne (Atlas de Marrakech et bassin de Ouarzazate, Maroc). Newsletter. Stratigr., 38: 57‐80. 
• Michard, A. (1976) Éléments de géologie marocaine. Notes Mém. Serv. Géol. Maroc, vol. 252. 408 p. 
• Michard, A. Hoepffner, C., Soulaimani, A. & Baidder, L. (2008) The Variscan Belt. In Michard, A., Saddiqi, O., Chalouan, A., Frizon de Lamotte, D. (Eds.), Continental Evolution: The Geology of Morocco, Springer Verl., 65-131.