Abstract
We report on 55 Nd–Sr–Pb and 23 Hf isotopic compositions for late Miocene to Plio–Quaternary basalts from the Arabian Plate. The sampling profile represents a 2500 km N–S transect along the Red Sea margin from Syria to Yemen. 206Pb/ 204Pb displays a wide range (from 18.60 to 19.55) from south to north, indicating a pervasive high-μ distribution that questions the previous attribution of this component to the Afar plume. We rather suggest that the high-μ signature resides within the Arabian lithospheric mantle. Compared to basalts from northern and central Arabia (Saudi Arabia to Syria), basalts from southern Arabia (Yemen) display similar ranges for 143Nd/ 144Nd, 176Hf/ 177Hf, and 206Pb/ 204Pb, but are shifted towards compositions more radiogenic in Sr and 208Pb. These distinct time-integrated Rb/Sr and Th/U ratios between north and south are believed to reflect heterogeneous development of the Arabian lithosphere through time and/or result from the thermal effect of the Afar plume on the southern part of the lithosphere.
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