Post-collisional magmatism in the northern Arabian-Nubian Shield: The geotectonic evolution of the alkaline suite at Gebel Tarbush area, south Sinai, Egypt

Post-collisional alkaline magmatism (∼610–580 Ma) is widely distributed in the northern part of the Neoproterozoic Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS), i.e. the northern part of the Egyptian Eastern Desert and Sinai. Alkaline rocks of G. Tarbush constitute the western limb of the Katharina ring complex (∼593 ± 16 Ma) in southern Sinai. This suite commenced with the extrusion of peralkaline volcanics and quartz syenite subvolcanics intruded by syenogranite and alkali feldspar granite. The mineralogy and geochemistry of these rocks indicate an alkaline/peralkaline within-plate affinity. Quartz syenite is relatively enriched in TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, MgO, CaO, Sr, Ba and depleted in SiO₂, Nb, Y, and Rb. The G. Tarbush alkaline suite most likely evolved via fractionation of mainly feldspar and minor mafic phases (hornblende, aegirine) from a common quartz syenite parental magma, which formed via partial melting of middle crustal rocks of ANS juvenile crust. Mantle melts could have provided the heat required for the middle crustal melting. The upper mantle melting was likely promoted by erosional decompression subsequent to lithospheric delamination and crustal uplift during the late-collisional stage of the ANS. Such an explanation could explain the absence or scarce occurrence of mafic and intermediate lithologies in the abundant late- to post-collisional calc-alkaline and alkaline suites in the northern ANS. Moreover, erosion related to crustal uplift during the late-collision stage could account for the lack or infrequent occurrence of older lithologies, i.e. island arc metavolcanics and marginal basin ophiolites, from the northern part of the ANS.