Origin of Some Neo‐Proterozoic Ophiolites from Eastern Desert of Egypt: Geochemical Constraints

Abstract

The Neo‐Proterozoic ophiolites occur in the central and southern Eastern Desert along suture zone as dismembered masses in volcano‐sedimentary assemblages. The ophiolite component includes ultramafic rocks mainly serpentinites, mafic rocks, minor bodies of trondhjemite, sheeted dykes, metabasalts, and pillow lavas.The Present studies include two ophiolites in Central and southern eastern Desert named Mubarak – ElMayet and Ghadir respectively (Fig. 1). The first one named after wadi Mubarak and wadi ElMayet area (55 km north Marsa Alam city) and the second named after Wadi Ghadir (30 km south Marsa Alam city). The dismembered ophiolite components in Mubarak‐ElMayet mainly composed mainly of serpentinites, ophiolitic metagabbros, sheeted dykes and Pillow lavas. All components occur as thrusted blocks and sheets in metavolcano‐sedimentary assemblages (matrix). Gabbros sometimes occur as coarse grained gabbros (appenites) whereas pillows range in size from 30 cm to 1 m (Fig. 2a). The second ophiolite sequence expose in Wadi Ghadir and its tributary. It consists of serpentinized peridotites, layered gabbro, massive isotropic gabbro, fine grained gabbro, sheeted diabase dykes, pillowed basaltic lavas and minor plagiogranites. The serpentinized peridotites, metapyroxenites and serpentinites occur as allochthonous dismembered blocks, fragments and sheets in highly sheered metasediments and metavolcanics (mélange) (Fig. 2b,c). The massive and layered gabbros occur in the main wadi (Fig.2d, f) and in many places contain some veins and pockets from plagiogranites. The present gabbros intruded by syenogranites from the east. Pillow lavas occur between metasedimentary mélange and ophiolitic gabbros in wadi El Beda as tributary of Wadi Ghadir and sometimes occur as fragments in mélange. The pillows range in size from 40 cm to 1 m (Fig. 2f) and are mainly amygdaloidal and porphyritic basalt and spilite. Sheeted dykes cut the gabbros and pillow lavas in the Wadi El Beda and composed mainly from diabase (Fig. 2 g, h).In the present study, 47 samples for major, trace and REE elements from different rock types in Mubarak‐ El Mayet (18 samples) and Ghadir ophiolite (29 samples) were analyzed. The field work and the geochemical data will discussed in the present work to evaluate the tectonic setting, origin and mantle source for two ophiolite suites.