Geological Interpretation of Geothermal Manifestations in the East of Morocco

Abstract

For most developing countries, using renewable energy sources is always conditioned by government’s fear and reluctance towards the high cost and the complexity of technology needed. One of the greatest problems to face, once decided to get into the eco-friendly source, is the variability of energy potential in the globe generally and the region specifically. Morocco as a developing country and one of the most stable states in Africa in terms of politics and infrastructures has done a huge effort to surpass its energy deficit by launching a very large-scale integrated program for producing electricity using clean sources. The country’s project aims to save 15% of energy consumption by the year of 2030. Over the last few years, a huge interest to evaluate the feasibility of geothermal energy production in Morocco has been done. Thus, several studies were done and are still going to make this green energy useful in many ways and orientate the country towards its development. This contribution examines the relationship between the geothermal potential of the Northeastern part of Morocco (highlighted by the presence of several geothermal manifestations) and the recent volcanism activity (Plio-quaternary) observed within the same area.