Early Precambrian gneiss terranes and Pan-African island arcs in Yemen: Crustal accretion of the eastern Arabian Shield

Research Article| February 01, 1996 Early Precambrian gneiss terranes and Pan-African island arcs in Yemen: Crustal accretion of the eastern Arabian Shield Brian F. Windley; Brian F. Windley 1Department of Geology, Leicester University, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Martin J. Whitehouse; Martin J. Whitehouse 2Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3PR, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mahfood A. O. Ba-Bttat Mahfood A. O. Ba-Bttat 3Arab Petroleum Services Company Ltd., P.O. Box 48, Aden, Yemen Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Brian F. Windley 1Department of Geology, Leicester University, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom Martin J. Whitehouse 2Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3PR, United Kingdom Mahfood A. O. Ba-Bttat 3Arab Petroleum Services Company Ltd., P.O. Box 48, Aden, Yemen Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1996) 24 (2): 131–134. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)0242.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Brian F. Windley, Martin J. Whitehouse, Mahfood A. O. Ba-Bttat; Early Precambrian gneiss terranes and Pan-African island arcs in Yemen: Crustal accretion of the eastern Arabian Shield. Geology 1996;; 24 (2): 131–134. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)0242.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Within the Precambrian of Yemen, we have identified four gneiss terranes and two island-arc terranes on the basis of existing literature, mapping, and our own field observations, together with new Sm-Nd isotopic data. The two western gneiss terranes can be correlated with well-documented terranes (Asir and Afif) in Saudi Arabia. To the east of these, the Abas and Al-Mahfid gneiss terranes yield Sm-Nd model ages (tDM) of 1.7–2.3 Ga and 1.3–2.7 Ga, respectively, and cannot be correlated with any documented terranes in Saudi Arabia. These two terranes are separated by a Pan-African island-arc terrane that has been obducted onto one or both of the gneiss terranes, and a second arc bounds the Al-Mahfid gneiss terrane to the east. Our discovery of extensive Proterozoic to late Archean gneisses in Yemen provides important constraints upon the much-discussed tectonic framework of northeast Gondwana and the rate of Pan-African crustal growth. The terranes in Yemen may be correlated with comparable terranes on the eastern margin of the Arabian Shield and in northern Somalia. Thus Yemen provides a link between the arc collage of the Arabian Shield and the gneissic Mozambique belt of East Africa. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.