Late Neoproterozoic Dokhan volcanics, around G. Esh, North Eastern Desert, Egypt: geochemistry and relation of K2O and Nb abundances with crustal thickness
文摘
The Dokhan volcanics outcropping around G. Esh granite form a moderate relief and covers an area of about 40?km2. They are thermally metamorphosed along their contact with the pink granite (Y.G) giving cordierite and sillimanite hornfelses. Two groups are identified; the oldest is basic and predominate at the east of the map area, while the youngest one is mainly intermediate to acidic. The basic rocks are composed of basalt, basaltic andesite, and andesite. They exhibit trachytic, porphyritic, and amygdaloidal textures. Tuffacious varieties are present. The acidic rocks comprise dacitic andesite, porphyritic dacite, rhyodacite, and their equivalent tuffs and ignimbrites. The tuffs are laminated and thinly bedded forming thick belts. The phenocrysts are mainly of quartz, orthoclase, sanidine, and plagioclase and rarely pyroxene. Magnetite is common in the basic varieties while hematite predominates in the acidic rocks. The basic group is low-K tholeiitic to calc-alkaline nature while the acidic one is calc-alkaline and medium-K nature. The two groups have Zr/Y ratios more or less constant suggesting the same magma source. They are higher in Pb, Zn, Ba, Rb, and Sr than island-arc volcanic rocks and lower in K and Nb. The study rocks are more or less comparable to SVZ of Andes (thin continental crust). The relations of K2O and Nb abundances with the crustal thickness are discussed.