Origin and Economic Significance of Neoproterozoic Ophiolites in the Southern Eastern Desert, Egypt: US-Egypt Joint Science Program

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This project will study ophiolites (fragments of oceanic lithosphere) in the South Eastern Desert of Egypt and use this information to better understand economically significant mineral deposits. Previous efforts have shown that application of the fore-arc ophiolite mode to be very useful for understanding the ophiolitic assemblages in the Central Eastern Desert, and the PIs propose to similarly study ophiolitic rocks in the southern Eastern Desert. Emphasis will be placed on understanding ophiolites associated with the best defined suture zone in Egypt, the Allaqi-Heiani-Gerf suture, which can be continuously traced from Lake Nasser to the Red Sea just north of the Sudanese border. The Broader impacts include societal relevance since the scientific objective supports an economic objective of understanding what if any controls the ophiolite exerted on the type and location of economic mineral deposits. Additionally there will be a diverse scientific benefit to the broader MARGINS community.This project is co-funded by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering.