Tholeiite derivative dyke swarms near Erkowit,Red Sea Hills,Sudan

Extensive dyke swarms have been identified in basement rocks inland from Suakin with NW, N-S, and E-W trends. Petrographic examination and the results of ten XRF analyses of dykes near Erkowit indicate that they belong to a tholeiitic hornblende microgabbro-microdiorite suite. Eight whole rock K-Ar isotopic analyses suggest two possible periods of emplacement at 616±18 Ma. and 660±19 Ma. ago. These are the first geochemical-geochronological data for Sudanese dykes, and suggest an association with the N.E. African igneous ring-complex province.

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Zusammenfassung Ausgedehnte Ansammlungen von Gängen in nordwestlichen, nord-südlichen und ostwestlichen Richtungen wurden im Grundgebirge landeinwärts von Suakin festgestellt. Eine petrographische Überprüfung und die Ergebnisse von zehn XRF-Analysen von Gängen in der Nähe von Erkowit deuten auf eine tholeiitische Homblende-Mikrogabbro-Mikrodiorit-Gruppe hin. Acht K/Ar-Isotopenanalysen legen zwei mögliche Entstehungsperioden um 616±18 Millionen Jahre und 660±19 Millionen Jahre nahe. Dies sind die ersten geochemisch-geochronologischen Daten für sudanesische Gänge; sie weisen auf eine Verbindung mit der nordostafrikanischen plutonischen Ringkomplex Region hin.

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Résumé On a compilé de grands ensembles de dykes dans le socle de l'intérieur de Suakin. Ils sont orientés N.O.-S.E., N-S et E-O. Les examens pétrographiques et les résultats de dix analyses par fluorescence X, des dykes dans la région d'Erkowit indiquent leur apparartenance à une suite tholéiitique de microgabbro ou microdiorite à hornblende. Huit analyses isotropiques de la roche totale par la méthode K-Ar suggérent deux possibilités de la période d'emplacement, 616±18 Ma et 660±19 Ma. Ces premiers éléments d'information géochimiques et géochronologiques concernant les dykes soudanais suggérent une association avec la province du ring-complex du N.E. Africain.

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-, - - Suakin'a. Erkowit'a . - : 616±18 660±19 . ; .

     

Geology and Geotectonic Classification of Pan-African Gold Mineralizations in the Red Sea Hills,Sudan

Hundreds of ancient gold mines and prospects are known in the Red Sea Hills of the Sudan, and many are still of economic importance. Most of the mines are part of the Pan-African tectonostratigraphic sequence. The genesis of the gold expresses three geotectonic events that have left their marks on the style of the mineralization. The first type (I) is syngenetic with volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits that are associated with calc-alkaline, island-arc, acidic volcanism, where gold was deposited some 715 Ma ago. The second type (II) is related to a major tectonic-metamorphic episode during collisional orogeny, which caused the remobilization of gold and its precipitation in silica-barite and massive barite formations, possibly around 650 Ma. The third type (III) takes the form of auriferous quartz veins along first- and second-order shear zones related to postcollisional movement and retromorphism, at ～550 Ma. Gold was remobilized from volcano-magmatic sequences to be precipitated along structurally more favorable sites.     

Late proterozoic island arc volcanics from Gebeit,Red Sea Hills,north-east Sudan

The area of Gebeit Mine in the northern Red Sea Hills, Sudan, is built up of voluminous volcanic rocks and minor volcaniclastic and clastic sequences. According to their chemical and modal compositions the Gebeit volcanics can be devided into four groups: (a) cpx-physic basalts with clinopyroxene and plagioclase as the dominant phenocrysts and minor opaques; (b) hbl-physic basalts with hornblende, clinopyroxene, plagioclase and subordinate magnetite including one rare dacite; (c) pl-phyric andesites with plagioclase phenocrysts in a matrix that is rich in magnetite; and (d) aphyric basalts. The compositional variation within the distinct volcanic groups can only partly be explained by fractional crystallization, and more than one magma source reservoir is required.Mineral and whole rock Sm/Nd data for the cpx-physic and hbl-physic basalts yield an isochron age of 832 ± 26 Ma (Nd_T = 6.74 ± 0.19, MSWD = 0.12) which is interpreted as the age of eruption. The Nd_t values for the aphyric basalts and pl-physic andesites range from 6.7 to 8.3, indicating the involvement of different depleted magma sources. The Nd and Sr isotopic data rule out any significant influence of older continental crust in the formation of the Gebeit volcanics and indicate an intraoceanic origin. This implies that the Gebeit terrane is a segment of juvenile crust that originated in a subduction-related environment and supports the arc accretion model for the Arabian-Nubian Shield.     

Groundwater balance in the Khor Arbaat basin, Red Sea State, eastern Sudan

The Khor Arbaat basin is the main source of potable water supply for the more than 750,000 inhabitants of Port Sudan, eastern Sudan. The variation in hydraulic conductivity and storage capacity is due to the heterogeneity of the sediments, which range from clay and silt to gravely sand and boulders. The water table rises during the summer and winter rainy seasons; it reaches its lowest level in the dry season. The storage capacity of the Khor Arbaat aquifer is estimated to be 21.75?×?10⁶ m³. The annual recharge through the infiltration of flood water is about 1.93?×?10⁶ m³. The groundwater recharge, calculated as underground inflow at the ‘upper gate’, is 1.33?×?10⁵ m³/year. The total annual groundwater recharge is 2.06?×?10⁶ m³. The annual discharge through underground outflow at the ‘lower gate’ (through which groundwater flows onto the coastal plain) is 3.29?×?10⁵ m³/year. Groundwater discharge due to pumping from Khor Arbaat basin is 4.38?×?10⁶ m³/year on average. The total annual groundwater discharge is about 4.7?×?10⁶ m³. A deficit of 2.6?×?10⁶ m³/year is calculated. Although the total annual discharge is twice the estimated annual recharge, additional groundwater flow from the fractured basement probably balances the annual groundwater budget since no decline is observed in the piezometric levels.     

The geology of J. Qeili igneous complex,Central Sudan

The J. Qeili complex constitutes a Younger Granite shallow-level igneous intrusion emplaced by cauldron subsidence into the Butana green-schists presumably during Ordovician times. The complex is oval in plan and consists of several plugs of syenite and granite associated with early, minor amounts of gabbro, dolerite and rhyolite lava which could have been derived from a related magma. The complex shows a rather uniform alkaline character.

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Zusammenfassung Der J. Qeili-Komplex stellt eine flache magmatische Intrusion dar, die vermutlich während des Ordoviziums durch einen Kesseleinbruch in die Butana-Grünschiefer eindrang und die zum jüngeren Granit gehört. Der Komplex ist oval und besteht aus mehreren Syenit- und Granitpfropfen in Verbindung mit frühen, geringen Mengen Gabbro-, Dolerit- und Rhyolit-Lava, die von entsprechenden Magmen stammen könnten. Der Komplex zeigt ziemlich einheitlichen alkalischen Charakter.

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Résumé Le complexe du Jebel Qeili constitue une intrusion de «granite jeune» — younger granite des auteurs anglo-saxons — mise en place dans les schistes verts du Butana à la suite d'un effondrement en cloche d'une masse rocheuse, probablement pendant l'Ordovicien. Le complexe est oval en plan et comprend plusieurs affleurements de syénite et de granite associés avec de petites masses de gabbro, dolérite et rhyolite qui proviennent d'un magma qui pourrait Être lié au magma ayant donné les granites et les syénites. Le complexe du Jebel Qeili montre un caractère alcalin assez constant.

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J. Qeili , , , , Butna «» . , , , . .

     

高精度磁法在苏丹红海州佛地宛铁矿找矿中的应用

苏丹红海州的佛地宛铁矿产于元古代中性火山岩-次火山岩的断裂带中,属于裂隙充填型铁矿床.文章通过2.5维人机交互反演和磁化率三维反演模型等方法联合解释铁矿区铁矿体地表及其深部矿体特征,通过反演结果显示出铁矿体的赋存状态、规模大小和延展深度,使高精度要磁测工作获得较好的成果.     

苏丹北部红海州16区块地质特征及找矿方法探讨

16区块位于苏丹北部红海州,区内已发现金矿点11处,铜矿点6处,优选出了4个成矿远景区,评价了小型金矿床1处。该文介绍了16区的成矿地质条件、矿化特征及矿化类型,以已评价的小型金矿床为例讨论了该区金矿成矿作用及控矿因素,指出该区具备良好的金铜矿成矿远景。针对该区实际情况提出遥感解译配合化探测量、物探测量是选勘查靶区的有效方法,地表槽探揭露配合中深部钻探控制是必要的勘查手段。     

川东红层丘陵区软弱夹层工程特性

在川东丘陵侏罗系红层中,分布有多层厚度稳定的软弱夹层,这些软弱夹层在很大程度上控制着斜坡的结构特征和稳定性。在进行工程建设时,若基础持力层范围内存在软弱夹层,必须对软弱夹层进行详细研究。以川东地区工程实践经验为基础,进行总结,并进行其工程特性和力学参数取值方法的分析。     

Sedimentology of the Old Red Sandstone (Siluro-Devonian) in the Clee Hills area,Shropshire, England

The sequence of approximately 1300 m is divided by a major unconformity (Middle Devonian) into the thick Lower Old Red Sandstone (Siluro-Devonian), resting disconformably on Ludlovian (Silurian) marine strata, and the much thinner Upper Old Red Sandstone (Upper Devonian) overlain by the Carboniferous.The Lower Old Red Sandstone commences with littoral sediments (Downton Castle Formation) followed by tidal mud-flat deposits (Temeside Formation) formed after a brief marine transgression. The predominant remainder of the sequence (Ledbury Formation, Ditton Group, Abdon Group, Woodbank Group), characterized by fining-upwards cyclothems, records the establishment during a marine regression of extensive and persistent alluvial plains. Prior to Ditton Group times, detritus came from relatively distant regionally metamorphosed rocks lying to the north or west of the Clee Hills. Subsequently, apparently as the result of river-capture or drainage-reversal consequent on the commencement of the final (mid-Devonian) phase of Caledonian movement, high-level crustal rocks closer at hand (largely Wales) replaced the metamorphics as the sources of sediment, the earlier Lower Old Red Sandstone itself being recycled. To judge from the calcretes preserved in the alluvial formations, the area lay near the Equator and experienced a relatively dry hot climate.The Upper Old Red Sandstone likewise reveals fining-upwards cyclothems. The overlying Carboniferous rocks evidence the renewed marine transgression of the area, after the removal of the effects of the mid-Devonian movements.     

Paleo-Tsunami deposits on the Red Sea beach, Egypt

The characteristics of the recent tsunami deposits threw light on some sources of deposition on the beach of the Red Sea. The studied area is delineated by latitudes 25°6′ N and 25°9′ N and longitudes 34°50′ E and 34°53′ E; it covers an elongate area of about 12 km² along the Red Sea coast, North Marsa Alam City (4 km). The area is bounded by Wadi Asalay to the north and Wadi Sifayn from the south. For evaluation of the area, a lot of information allows us to interpret the conditions prevailing during deposition of the sediments especially at the coast. To achieve the target, five wells were drilled to study core samples, well logging measurements, and 69 vertical electrical sounding stations were carried out. The studied area and adjacent areas were geologically surveyed to note geological features related to Paleo-earthquakes. From geological and geophysical studies, the dominant rock types at the western portions of the studied area are sandstone, sandy clay, clay, clayey sandstone, and gravels; at the middle portion of the studied area, the rocks are hard, but the eastern side of the area, especially at the beach of the Red Sea, several cycles of depositions of coral reefs occurred with intercalations of clastic deposits such as clay, sand, sandstone, conglomerate, gravels, pebbles, and a lot of fossils and shell fragments. The rocks are characterized by heterogeneous properties and ill-sorted. The area includes large numbers of faults due to highly tectonism of the area. The results indicated that the area has lateral variation of sediments. The carbonate rocks at the beach contain clastic fragments, and carbonate blocks are included within clastic rocks. With increasing the distance from the beach to the west, the sediments are less heterogeneous. The beach of the Red Sea was subjected to Paleo-tsunami waves due to highly Paleo-seismic activity inside the Red Sea and left their signature in geological column especially at the beach. The observation of some geological features such as Paleo-liquefaction and landslides indicate that the area subjected to strong earthquakes related to rifting of the Red Sea.     

Vanadiferous minerals from the Nereus Deep, Red Sea

The chemical analysis by EMPEDS of 140 samples in cores from six Red Sea troughs and basins has led to the discovery in the Nereus Deep of high vanadium concentrations (up to 1.3% V₂O₃) in several bulk samples, and to the isolation of a major magnetite phase. This vanado-magnetite, remarkable for its high content of vanadium (mean = 1.45% V₂O₃) and its lack of titanium, is frequently zoned, the V-content decreasing toward the outer zones. Oxides with up to 42% V₂O₃, have also been found. Since the origin of the magnetite is clearly authigenic, its high vanadium and low titanium concentrations are traced back to the differential hydrothermal leaching of Fe—Ti-oxides which occur profusely in basic eruptive rock clasts, actually present in some of the overlying seams.     

Sea level changes in the holocene

Over the last 30 years the emphasis in studies of the recovery from low last glaciation sea levels has changed significantly. The search for a eustatic sea level curve having global relevance has ended. Studies into the rheology of the earth's crust, and recognition that the geoid has not remained stable over time, have resulted in the recognition that there must have been regional differences in eustatic response to deglaciation. As a part of this re-appraisal there has been a growing appreciation that crustal isostatic response to the removal of the weight of ice sheets has been accompanied by a consequential hydro-isostatic response, particularly in the areas of the shelf seas. In the later part of the post-war period attention has additionally been focussed on the much greater potential for error over the whole field of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in the Holocene, including not only errors in dating, but also a large number of possible sources of errors in heighting. As a result of this, an increasing number of scientists are withholding judgement on the nature of sea level rise and, more particularly, on the problem of higher than present late Holocene eustatic sea levels. The problems outstanding in the early 1960s have not yet been resolved but the bases of uncertainty have changed.     

High-temperature Contact Metamorphism at the Red Hills Ultramafic Intrusion-Wairau Valley--New Zealand

High-temperature contact metamorphism at the contact of an alpine-typeultramafic intrusion is described. Permian spilitic volcanicsand tuffs within a zone about 750 yards in width are convertedto amphibolites and pyroxene hornfelses. In the amphibolitesthe colour of the amphibole changes from green to brown-greenand finally to deep brown at the contact. Two-pyroxene hornfelsesare developed at the contact, together with wollastonite, grossular,and hydrogrossular. Chemical changes in the amphiboles acrossthe contact aureole are: increase in (Na+ K) and (Al⁽⁶⁾ + Fe⁺³+Ti) approaching the contact, and progressive decrease in thewater content. Similar chemical changes are noted in a lensof country rock included within the main ultramafic intrusion. It is considered that original high-temperature-contact effectsare often obscured by later Ca-metasomatism during serpentinizationof the ultramafic rocks, or by later tectonic deformation ofthe rocks which may involve movement of the ultramafic mass,as a relatively cold solid intrusion, to higher levels.     

The Petrology of the Lower Old Red Sandstone Lavas of the Eastern Sidlaw Hills, Perthshire, Scotland

The calc-alkaline lava sequence of the eastern Sidlaw Hillsforms a small part of an extensive volcanic province of LowerOld Red Sandstone (Devonian) age in Scotland and N. England.The Sidlaw lavas ranging from olivine basalt to dacite are allporphyritic with combinations of olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene,orthopyroxene, and opaque oxide pheno-crysts. Chemically, thelavas are slightly more alkalic than modern calc-alkaline lavas.There is considerable variation in the ‘incompatible elements’.The differentiation of the lavas can be accounted for by fractionationof olivine+plagioclase+minor ore from a chemically variable,immediately parental magma at low pressure (c. 1 kb P_H2O). Itis suggested that fractionation of variable amounts of olivineand clinopyroxene from an olivine tholeiite at moderate P_H2Ocould give rise to this chemically variable, high alumina, immediatelyparental magma.     

The structure and evolution of the Red Sea and the nature of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Ethiopian Rift Junction

Some highlights of a discussion meeting held at the Royal Society of London from 27 to 29 March 1969 are presented.