The Aoufous Formation is exposed from the Anti-Atlas and High Atlas mountain ranges up to the Sahara craton, in the southeastern part of Morocco.

[3] In the early Mesozoic Era, the main displacement of the African continent was from south to north, in the direction of Europe.

During the Barremian-Aptian, two elongated marine gulfs extended northwards along the Middle-Atlas and from the western Essaouira Basin.

The Aoufous Formation is characterized by three facies: variegated claystones, gypsum layers and dolomitic limestones.

The fauna of these lenses is characterized from three cladistians (Serenoichthys kemkemensis and two other unnamed genera), an indeterminate actinopterygian, and the oldest known freshwater acanthomorph (Spinocaudichthys oumtkoutensis).

The paleoenvironment of OT1 has been interpreted as a quiet lake, where the process of fossilization was quite rapid (soft tissues are generally preserved).

Another seven elasmobranchs are reported: Asteracanthus aegyptiacus, Distobatus nutiae, Tribodus sp., Lissodus sp., Haimirichia amonensis, Cretoxyrhinidae indet., and Marckgrafia lybica.

Teleosteans are represented by Cladocyclus pankowskii, Palaeonotopterus greenwoodi, Erfoudichthys rosae and Concavotectum moroccensis.

Turtles are represented by several species: Dirqadim schaefferi, the podocnemidids Hamadachelys escuilliei, the bothremydids Galianemys whitei and G. emringeri, and the araripemydids Araripemys sp.

Crocodilians are commonly found; four species are present: Elosuchus cherifiensis, a genus belonged to the Trematochampsidae, Araripesuchus rattoides and Laganosuchus maghrebensis.

Pterosaurs are also present, although their fossils are extremely rare and enigmatic: an azhdarchid, an ornithocheirid, a tapejarid and a pteranodontid are recognized.