Seasonal cycle of hydrography in the Bab el Mandab region,southern Red Sea

The seasonal cycle of temperature—salinity variations in the Bab el Mandab region (southern Red Sea) is described using CTD data collected during four cruises spread over the period May 1995—August 1997. A two layer system exists during early summer, winter and spring while a three layer system exists during summer. During summer, a large amount of the Gulf of Aden water intrudes into the Bab el Mandab region; up to the northern limit (14.5‡N). The quantity of Red Sea water that flows into the Gulf of Aden is maximum during the winter and minimum during the summer     

Distribution of Crenarchaeota tetraether membrane lipids in surface sediments from the Red Sea

The Red Sea represents an extreme marine environment, with high salinity, high temperature and low level of nutrients, complicating the application of standard geochemical palaeotemperature proxies. In order to investigate the applicability of the TEX₈₆ (TetraEther indeX of GDGTs with 86 carbons) proxy for sea surface temperature (SST) in the Red Sea, the distribution of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether membrane lipids (GDGTs) in sediments from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden were examined. Against expectations, TEX₈₆ values for the Red Sea do not show a simple linear relationship with SST and deviate from the global core top calibration. In the northern Red Sea, at temperatures between 25 and 28 °C, the values increase linearly with SST, whereas in the southern Red Sea, at temperatures above 28 °C, TEX₈₆ decreases with increasing temperature. Factors like seasonality and depth of production, salinity and nutrient availability, as well as diagenetic overprint or influence of allochtonous terrestrial lipids, cannot explain this pattern. However, the observed TEX₈₆ relationship with SST could be explained by the presence of a hypothetical endemic Crenarchaeota population in the Red Sea with a specific TEX₈₆ vs. SST relationship. In the Southern Red Sea, a two-component mixing model implies an exponential decrease in the endemic population towards the Gulf of Aden. Thus, the application of the TEX₈₆ as a palaeotemperature proxy in the Red Sea is likely only possible for the northern Red Sea area with the specific SST vs. TEX₈₆ relationship determined in this study and potentially for the whole Red Sea basin during glacials, when water exchange with the Indian Ocean was more restricted than today and the endemic archaeal lipid distribution was not affected by transport from the Indian Ocean. Our results suggest that distinct populations of Crenarchaeota in extreme environments such as evaporitic basins may have different membrane composition, necessitating application of another calibration than the global core top calibration for TEX₈₆ palaeothermometry.     

Seismic risk assessment at the proposed site of Gemsa wind power station,southwestern coast of Gulf of Suez,Egypt

Gemsa has been chosen as the site for one of a new generation of power stations along the south-western margin of the Gulf of Suez. This site has been affected by a number of destructive earthquakes (M_w> 5), in addition to large number of earthquakes with magnitudes of less than 5. In this study seismic activities in the region were collected and re-evaluated, and the main earthquake prone zones were identified. It is indicated that this site is affected by the southern Gulf of Suez, northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba source zones. The southern Gulf of Suez source zone is the nearest to the proposed site. The stochastic simulation method has been applied to estimate the Peak GroundAcceleration at the site of the proposed Gemsa power plant. It was noticed that the pseudo-spectral acceleration (PSA) reaches 175 cm/sec2 resulting from the southern Gulf of Suez seismic source. In addition, the response spectrum was conducted with a damping value of 5% of the critical damping, and the predominant period reached 0.1sec at the site. These results should be taken into consideration by civil engineers and decision-makers for designing earthquake resistant structures.     

Eastern Mediterranean sea during the last glacial maximum; an 18,000-years B.P. reconstruction

An ecological transfer function based on the distribution of planktonic foraminifera in 66 Mediterranean and 8 North Atlantic surface-sediment samples is used to estimate sea-surface temperatures and salinities for the eastern Mediterranean during the last glacial maximum (18,000 yr B.P.). The present-day distribution of planktonic foraminifera can be explained by four faunal assemblages, each of which has diagnostic environmental preferences. Factor 1 is a tropical-subtropical assemblage; factor 2 is a transitional assemblage; factor 3 is a low-salinity assemblage; and factor 4 is a subpolar assemblage. The geographic distribution of these faunal assemblages reflect the variation in overlying hydrographic conditions. The 18,000-yr B.P. samples were selected based on total faunal stratigraphy, oxygen-isotope stratigraphy, and previously determined radiometric dates for eastern Mediterranean volcanic ash layers. Estimated temperature and salinity patterns show that the greatest change between present-day and 18,000-yr B.P. sea-surface conditions existed in the Aegean Sea and immediately south of Crete. The winter temperature anomaly (18,000 yr B.P.-present) within the Aegean Sea is 6°C cooler than present. In contrast to this, the maximum summer temperature anomaly exists to the south of Crete, where sea-surface temperatures were 4°C cooler than present. Estimated sea-surface salinities also show that the greatest change took place within the Aegean Sea, being 5‰ less saline than present. The estimated temperature and salinity patterns seem to reflect changing drainage patterns during glacial times and the diversion of cool, low-salinity water into the Aegean Sea. The source of this glacial runoff appears to be large freshwater lakes that existed during this time over parts of eastern Europe and western Siberia.     

Sea level and shoreline reconstructions for the Red Sea: isostatic and tectonic considerations and implications for hominin migration out of Africa

The history of sea level within the Red Sea basin impinges on several areas of research. For archaeology and prehistory, past sea levels of the southern sector define possible pathways of human dispersal out of Africa. For tectonics, the interglacial sea levels provide estimates of rates for vertical tectonics. For global sea level studies, the Red Sea sediments contain a significant record of changing water chemistry with implications on the mass exchange between oceans and ice sheets during glacial cycles. And, because of its geometry and location, the Red Sea provides a test laboratory for models of glacio-hydro-isostasy. The Red Sea margins contain incomplete records of sea level for the Late Holocene, for the Last Glacial Maximum, for the Last Interglacial and for earlier interglacials. These are usually interpreted in terms of tectonics and ocean volume changes but it is shown here that the glacio-hydro-isostatic process is an additional important component with characteristic spatial variability. Through an iterative analysis of the Holocene and interglacial evidence a separation of the tectonic, isostatic and eustatic contributions is possible and we present a predictive model for palaeo-shorelines and water depths for a time interval encompassing the period proposed for migrations of modern humans out of Africa. Principal conclusions include the following. (i) Late Holocene sea level signals evolve along the length of the Red Sea, with characteristic mid-Holocene highstands not developing in the central part. (ii) Last Interglacial sea level signals are also location dependent and, in the absence of tectonics, are not predicted to occur more than 1–2 m above present sea level. (iii) For both periods, Red Sea levels at ‘expected far-field’ elevations are not necessarily indicative of tectonic stability and the evidence points to a long-wavelength tectonic uplift component along both the African and Arabian northern and central sides of the Red Sea. (iv) The observational evidence is consistent with tectonic and isostatic processes both operating over the past 300,000 years without requiring changes in the time averaged (over a few thousand years) tectonic rates. (v) Recent bathymetric data for the Bab al Mandab region have been compiled to confirm the location and depth of the sill controlling flow in and out of the Red Sea. Throughout the last 400,000 years the Red Sea has remained open to the Gulf of Aden with cross sectional areas at times of glacial maxima about 2% of that today. (vi) The minimum channel widths connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden at times of lowstand occur south of the Hanish Sill. The channels are less than 4 km wide and remain narrow for as long as local sea levels are below ?50 m. This occurs for a number of sustained periods during the last two glacial cycles and earlier. (vii) Periods suitable for crossing between Africa and Arabia without requiring seaworthy boats or seafaring skills occurred periodically throughout the Pleistocene, particularly at times of favourable environmental climatic conditions that occurred during times of sea level lowstand.     

Stress analysis and tectonic trends of southern Sinai Peninsula, using potential field data analysis and anisotropy technique

The aim of the present work is to evaluate the stress direction and the tectonic trends of the study area using magnetic anisotropy and potential field data interpretations (Bouguer and aeromagnetic). The specific objective of the gravity and aeromagnetic interpretation is to establish the trend and depth of the structural configuration of the basement rocks. Horizontal gradient techniques could to delineate directions of deep sources and enabled tracing several faults, lineaments and tectonic boundaries of basement rocks. The trend analysis shows N40°?C50°W, N10°?C20°W and N10°?C20°E which may be related to the Gulf of Suez, Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba stresses. However, Euler Deconvolution technique was applied using the aeromagnetic data to provide reliable information about penetrated source depth (100 m and ??10.0 km) and trends of the subsurface sources (principally in NW and NE directions). Moreover, representative 72 oriented rock samples have been collected from seven sites in the study area. The rock magnetic properties and magnetic anisotropy analysis have been determined for all the studied samples. The interpretation clearly defined magnetic lineation at all sites and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) parameters. The stress direction of the studied area has been evaluated using magnetic anisotropy and geophysical analysis. Generally the estimated geophysical data analysis (Bouguer and aeromagnetic) are well consistent with the AMS interpretations of this study. The results indicated that the directions of predominant faults and foliations are NW-SE (related to the Gulf of Suez and Red Sea rifting) which indicate that the main stress and tectonic trend is NE-SW, which is more predominant in southern Sinai region. Moreover, it is clear that, the studied area was affected also by less predominant sources trended in NE-SW direction, which related to the tectonic activity of Gulf of Aqaba. The least predominant is north 40°?C50° east that is probably due to the Syrian Arc system. Finally, our results are extremely coincided with the previous stress directions derived from geological, seismological and tectonic analysis in northern Red Sea rift, Gulf of Suez and Sinai regions.     

Heavy metals signature of human activities recorded in coral skeletons along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

The concentrations of six heavy metals were studied in five living coral species and their fossil counterparts collected along the Jordanian Coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. The study aimed at investigating the validity of using coral skeletons as bioindicators for environmental pollution by heavy metals in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. The skeletal samples of the collected corals were acid digested and analyzed for Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn content using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results obtained have shown that higher concentrations of heavy metals were found in coral skeletons from areas hosting intense developments and human activities. The massive Porites sp. coral tended to accumulate the highest metal concentrations among the other species (except for Mn). This was due to interspecific differences or selectivity of heavy metals between different coral species. It was noteworthy that fossil coral species recorded higher average metal concentrations than their living counterparts; this was attributed to surface contamination due to prolonged burial of the fossil corals in sediment over the years. The study concluded that corals (specially the massive Porites species) are vulnerable to the accumulation of high concentrations of heavy metals in their skeletons and therefore can serve as proxies to monitor environmental pollution.     

The Arabian Plate: unique fit of the earth's surface jig saw puzzle

The Arabian Plate is important and unique in many ways. The worker wants to highlight the important features characterizing the Arabian Plate. It is a unique fit of the earth's surface jig saw puzzle, different than all other lithospheric plates. It has the three known main tectonic plate boundaries, divergent, convergent and conservative ones. These boundaries are the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Zagros-Taurus and Dead Sea, respectively. It has three main well-defined and sharp plate boundaries, and it is surrounded by three major plates, African, Eurasian and Indian plates. The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden form the divergent boundary and spreading center. The Dead Sea Transform Fault (the Gulf of Aqaba Transform Fault) represents the conservative boundary and transform fault system. The Zagros-Taurus Thrust (Zagros-Taurus-Bitlis Thrust and Fold Belt) represents the convergent boundary and collision zone. The Arabian Plate incorporates a wide range and variety and subvariety of all three rock types, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, this in addition to all kinds of structures. Among these are folding with major fold belts, faulting, foliation, lineation and diapirism. Transform, transcurrent, normal, graben, reverse, thrust faults are all represented one way or another. The tectonics of the Arabian shield, which forms a major part of the Arabian Plate, has long tectonic history prior to the formation of the Red Sea. After the opening and formation of the latter, the tectonics of the Arabian shield became affected and controlled by its tectonics. The Arabian Plate includes the Arabian Platform which has a relatively different setting of tectonics represented by the Central Arabian Graben. The Arabian Plate contains one of the best representative outcropped ophiolite sequences in the world. The Arabian Plate most importantly incorporates most of world oil reserve. Seismic and volcanic activities are also manifested and affected many areas in the Arabian Plate.     

Mid-Holocene stable isotope record of corals from the northern Red Sea

We present a study based on X-ray chronologies and the stable isotopic composition of fossil Porites spp. corals from the northern Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) covering the mid-Holocene period from 5750 to 4450 ¹⁴C years BP (before present). The stable oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of five specimens reveal regular annual periodicities. Compared with modern Porites spp. from the same environment, the average seasonal δ ¹⁸O amplitude of the fossil corals is higher (by ca. 0.35–0.60‰), whereas annual growth rates are lower (by ca. 3.5 to 2 mm/year). This suggests stronger seasonality of sea surface temperatures and increased variability of the oxygen isotopic composition of the sea water due to changes in the precipitation and evaporation regime during the mid-Holocene. Most likely, summer monsoon rains reached the northern end of the Red Sea at that time. Average annual coral growth rates are diminished probably due to an increased input and resuspension of terrestrial debris to the shallow marine environment during more humid conditions. Our results corroborate published reports of paleodata and model simulations suggesting a northward migration of the African monsoon giving rise to increased seasonalities during the mid-Holocene over northeastern Africa and Arabia. Received: 4 January 1999 / Accepted: 13 September 1999     

Paleostress analysis of the volcanic margins of Yemen

The western part of Yemen is largely covered by Tertiary volcanics and is bounded by volcanic margins to the west (Red Sea) and the south (Gulf of Aden). The Oligo–Miocene evolution of Yemen results from the interaction between the emplacement of the Afar plume, the opening of the Red Sea, and the westward propagation of the Gulf of Aden. Structural and microtectonic analyses of fault slip data collected in the field reveal that the volcanic margins of Yemen are affected by three main extensional tectonic events. The chronological order of these events is as follows: first E–W extension was associated with the emplacement of volcanic traps of Yemen, then NE–SW extension was related to the Red Sea rifting, and finally, the volcanic margin was submitted to N160°E extension, perpendicular to the overall trend of the Gulf of Aden, which we interpret as induced by the westward propagation of the oceanic ridge of the Gulf of Aden.     

Conceptual model and numerical simulation of the hydrothermal system in Hammam Faraun hot spring, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

The tectonic position of Egypt in the northeastern corner of the African continent suggests that it may possess significant geothermal resources, especially along its eastern margin. The most of the thermal springs in Egypt are located along the shores of Gulf of Suez and Red Sea. These springs are probably tectonic or nonvolcanic origin associated with the opening of the Red Sea—Gulf of Suez rifts, where the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez is characterized by superficial thermal manifestations including a cluster of hot springs with varied temperatures. Hammam Faraun area consists of the hottest spring in Egypt where the water temperature is 70°C. Conceptual as well as numerical models were made on the Hammam Faraun hot spring based on geological, geochemical, and geophysical data. The models show that the heat source of the hot spring is probably derived from high heat flow and deep water circulation controlled by faults associated with the opening of the Red Sea and Gulf of Suez rifts.     

Heavy metals in mangrove sediments of the central Arabian Gulf shoreline,Saudi Arabia

To assess heavy metals in mangrove swamps of Sehat and Tarut coastal areas along the Arabian Gulf, 18 sediment samples were collected for Al, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, Sr, As, Fe, Co, and Ni analysis. The results indicated that the distribution of some metals was largely controlled by anthropogenic inputs, while others were of terrigenous origin and most strongly associated with distribution of aluminum and total organic carbon in sediments. Mangrove sediments were extremely severe enriched with Sr (EF?=?67.59) and very severe enriched with V, Hg, Cd, Cu, As (EF?=?44.28, 37.45, 35.77, 25.97, and 11.53, respectively). Average values of Sr, V, Hg, Cd, Cu, Ni, As, and Cr were mostly higher than the ones recorded from the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Caspian Sea, the Arabian and Oman gulfs, coast of Tanzania, sediment quality guidelines, and the background shale and the earth crust. Landfilling due to coastal infrastructure development around mangrove forests, oil spills and petrochemical and desalination effluents from Al-Jubail industrial city to the north were the anthropogenic activities that further enhanced heavy metals in the studied mangrove sediments.     

Seismicity and major geologic structures of Tiran and Sanafir islands and their surroundings in the Red Sea

Tiran and Sanafir islands and their surrounding areas are very important due to their location within the Red Sea, which is in a triple junction among the African and Arabian plates and the Sinai Peninsula microplate. Consequently, this area should be studied from a geological point of view, particularly because there is a plan to construct King Salman’s bridge connecting Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Freely available potential field data, such as magnetic and gravity data, were integrated with seismological data from nearby seismic stations to understand the regional structure and seismic activity in the area. Potential field data were analysed using edge detection techniques (Tilt DeRivative and horizontal gradient) for qualitative interpretation and 2D inversion modelling for quantitative interpretation. Seismological data were analysed geostatistically to identify many epicentre locations and estimate the focal depths. The results of the potential field data analysis indicate that Tiran and Sanafir islands are located along a subsurface geological edge trending NW, parallel to the Red Sea. A similarity in potential field anomalies between both islands and the southern Sinai Peninsula indicates that these islands were separated from the Sinai Peninsula during the formation of the Gulf of Aqaba via Dead Sea Transform fault. The analysis of the seismic data indicates that a specific motion characterizes each focal depth solution. The seismic events are related to main structural trends NW–SE and NE–SW.     

Heavy metals contamination of the Quaternary coral reefs, Red Sea coast, Egypt

In order to assess pollutants and impact of environmental changes along the Egyptian Red Sea coast, seven recent and Pleistocene coral species have been analyzed for Zn, Pb, Mn, Fe, Cr, Co, Ni, and Cu. Results show that the concentration of trace elements in recent coral skeletons is higher than those of Pleistocene counterpart except for Mn and Ni. In comparison with recent worldwide reefs, the present values are less than those of Central America coast (iron), Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan (lead, copper), Gulf of Mannar, India (chromium, zinc, manganese), Costa Rica, Panama (chromium, nickel), North-west coast of Venezuela and Saudi Arabia (copper). The present values are higher than those of Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan (iron, zinc, manganese), Gulf of Mannar, India (lead, cobalt, nickel), North-west coast of Venezuela (lead, zinc, chromium, manganese), Australia (copper, nickel, zinc, manganese). The highest values were recorded in Stylophora pistillata (iron, lead and copper), Acropora cytherea (cobalt), Pocillopora verrucosa (zinc) and the lowest concentrations were recorded in Goniastrea pectinata (iron, chromium, copper and nickel), Favites pentagona (lead, zinc and manganese), and Porites lutea (cobalt). The differences in metals content among the studied species are attributed to differences in microstructure and microarchitecture.     

Hydrography and water masses in the southeastern Arabian Sea during March–June 2003

This paper describes the hydrographic observations in the southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) during two cruises carried out in March–June 2003 as part of the Arabian Sea Monsoon Experiment. The surface hydrography during March–April was dominated by the intrusion of low-salinity waters from the south; during May–June, the low-salinity waters were beginning to be replaced by the highsalinity waters from the north. There was considerable mixing at the bottom of the surface mixed layer, leading to interleaving of low-salinity and high-salinity layers. The flow paths constructed following the spatial patterns of salinity along the sections mimic those inferred from numerical models. Time-series measurements showed the presence of Persian Gulf and Red Sea Waters in the SEAS to be intermittent during both cruises: they appeared and disappeared during both the fortnight-long time series.     

Crustal structure of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea

Seismic refraction profiles now number 9 in the Gulf of Aden and 15 in the Red Sea with a further intensive study by the Cambridge University group between latitudes 22 and 23°N. The results of these surveys indicate that the main trough of the Gulf of Aden is underlain by oceanic crust while only the deep axial zone and a questionable amount of the main trough of the Red Sea are underlain by oceanic crust.

Seismic reflexion profiles reveal the nature of Layer 1 and the upper surface of Layer 2. A strong subbottom reflector is found beneath the main trough of the Red Sea at 0.5 km but is found to be absent in the axial zone. This survey together with the refraction work and geological evidence suggests a complex history for the main trough of the Red Sea. Reflexion profiles and dredging in the Gulf of Aden indicate that the thickness of sediments increases away from the central rough zone and that the sediment is underlain by volcanic material.     

Seismic Activity and Energy Release of Earthquakes along the Gulf of Aqaba,Egypt

Geotectonics - The Gulf of Aqaba is situated along the southern part of the Dead Sea Rift Area transform (DST), 1000 km (620 miles), the boundary between the African plate and the Arabian plate. It...     

Diagenesis of Holocene beachrocks: a comparative study between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Aqaba,Saudi Arabia

Beachrocks occur in present-day intertidal zones of the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Aqaba, on the eastern and northwestern coasts, respectively, of Saudi Arabia. The beachrocks occur as linear patches within beach deposits, which have variable grain size and detrital compositions. The Arabian Gulf beachrocks are composed of sand-sized bioclasts and siliciclastic grains, whereas the Gulf of Aqaba beachrocks are composed of sand- to pebble-size grains, which are dominated by igneous rock fragments and small amounts of skeletal carbonate grains. The cement includes micritic high-magnesian calcite and isopachous acicular/bladed aragonite. In addition to cements, intergranular pores are locally filled by a lime–mud matrix. Radiocarbon dating of beachrock samples from the Arabian Gulf yielded ages from ca. 655 to 2185 year bp, whereas the Gulf of Aqaba samples range in age between 2745 and 5075 year bp.     

Tectonics of the Afar Depression: A review and synthesis

This article outlines geomorphological and tectonic elements of the Afar Depression, and discusses its evolution. A combination of far-field stress, due to the convergence of the Eurasian and Arabian plates along the Zagros Orogenic Front, and uplift of the Afar Dome due to a rising mantle plume reinforced each other to break the lithosphere of the Arabian–Nubian Shield. Thermal anomalies beneath the Arabian–Nubian Shield in the range of 150 °C–200 °C, induced by a rising plume that mechanically and thermally eroded the base of the mantle lithosphere and generated pulses of prodigious flood basalt since ∼30 Ma. Subsequent to the stretching and thinning the Afar Dome subsided to form the Afar Depression. The fragmentation of the Arabian–Nubian Shield led to the separation of the Nubian, Arabian and Somalian Plates along the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Main Ethiopian Rift. The rotation of the intervening Danakil, East-Central, and Ali-Sabieh Blocks defined major structural trends in the Afar Depression. The Danakil Block severed from the Nubian plate at ∼20 Ma, rotated anti-clockwise, translated from lower latitude and successively moved north, left-laterally with respect to Nubia. The westward propagating Gulf of Aden rift breached the Danakil Block from the Ali-Sabieh Block at ∼2 Ma and proceeded along the Gulf of Tajura into the Afar Depression. The propagation and overlap of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden along the Manda Hararo–Gobaad and Asal–Manda Inakir rifts caused clockwise rotation of the East-Central Block. Faulting and rifting in the southern Red Sea, western Gulf of Aden and northern Main Ethiopian Rift superimposed on Afar. The Afar Depression initiated as diffused extension due to far-field stress and area increase over a dome elevated by a rising plume. With time, the lithospheric extension intensified, nucleated in weak zones, and developed into incipient spreading centers.     

Petrogenesis of granitic rocks of the Jabal Sabir area,South Taiz City,Yemen Republic

The Tertiary granitic intrusive body(～21 Ma) of the Jabal Sabir area was emplaced during the early stages of the Red Sea opening.This intrusive body occupies the southern sector of Taiz City.It is triangular in shape,affected by two major faults,one of which is in parallel to the Gulf of Aden,and the other is in parallel to the eastern margin of the Red Sea coast.The petrogenesis of such a type of intrusion provides additional information on the origin of the Oligo-Miocene magmatic activity in relation to the rifting tectonics and evolution of this part of the Arabian Shield.The granitic body of Jabal Sabir belongs to the alkaline or peralkaline suite of A-type granites.It is enriched in the REE.The tight bundle plot of its REE pattern reflects neither tectonism nor metamorphism.This granite body is characterized by high alkali(8.7%-10.13%),high-field strength elements(HFSE),but low Sr and Ba and high Zn contents.The abundance of xenoliths from the neighboring country rocks and prophyritic texture of the Jabal Sabir granite body indicate shallow depths of intrusion.The major and trace elements data revealed a fractional crystallization origin,probably with small amounts of crustal contamination.It is interpreted that the Jabal Sabir intrusion represents an anorogenic granite pertaining to the A-type,formed in a within-plate environment under an extensional tectonic setting pertaining to rift-related granites.