Paleozoic source to sink relationship around the northern Trans-Gondwana Mountain Belt (East Africa, Arabia)

该项目将测试并在必要时纠正古生代阿拉伯半岛冈瓦纳超级扇系统的模型。我们将结合大块岩石岩相学、地球化学、重矿物分析、矿物化学和锆石 U-Pb 测年，对阿拉伯地台和埃塞俄比亚的古生代砂岩进行彻底的物源分析。这些调查沿着从埃塞俄比亚到阿拉伯地台的源头汇断面进行，并将东非的潜在源区与北部的古生代硅质碎屑岩连接起来。该提议部分基于之前对古生代硅质碎屑岩以及阿拉伯地盾和东非沉积学的研究。来自埃塞俄比亚和阿拉伯半岛的沉积物来源数据将与来自北非的沉积物来源数据进行比较，以了解某些来源模式是否可以在整个冈瓦纳北部更大范围内相互关联。预计来源数据将进一步了解外冈瓦南超级山（地球上最大的增生造山带之一）的古生代古地貌和侵蚀历史。腹地的构造、岩性和气候变化可能反映在沉积物的成分中，从而反映在沉积物的来源中。将讨论潜在的来源地区和运输方式。此外，预计将确定北非中部观察到的时间来源变化。其成因将结合冈瓦纳中部古生代时期的古构造活动和气候变化进行讨论。特别令人感兴趣的是赫南特纪和晚石炭世-早二叠世期间的冈瓦纳冰川。总的来说，阿拉伯半岛古生代砂岩的年龄、物源和成分对于我们了解冈瓦纳超大陆内部古生代的环境和构造演化具有重要意义。

This project will test and if necessary correct the model of the Gondwana super-fan system for the Arabian Peninsula in the Palaeozoic. We will carry out a thorough provenance analysis on Palaeozoic sandstones on the Arabian Platform and in Ethiopia combining bulk-rock petrography, geochemistry, heavy mineral analysis, mineral chemistry, and U-Pb dating of zircons. The investigations follows a source to sink transect from Ethiopia to the Arabian Platform and connects potential source regions in East Africa with Palaeozoic siliciclastics in the north. The proposal is partly based on previous studies on the sedimentology of Palaeozoic siliciclastics as well as on the Arabian shield and in East Africa. Sedimentary provenance data from Ethiopia and the Arabian Peninsula will be compared with those from North Africa to see whether certain provenance patterns can be correlated in a larger scale across northern Gondwana. The provenance data are expected to give further insights into the Palaeozoic palaeotopography and erosion history of the Transgondwanan supermountain, one of the largest accretionary orogens on Earth. Tectonic, lithologic and climatic changes in the hinterland are likely reflected in the composition and hence in the provenance of the sediment. Potential source areas and transport ways will be discussed. Moreover, it is expected to identify temporal provenance changes as observed in central North Africa. Their causes will be discussed in regard of palaeotectonic activity and climatic changes in central Gondwana during Palaeozoic time. Of particular interest are the Gondwanan glaciations during the Hirnantian and the Late Carboniferous-Early Permian. In general, the age, provenance and composition of the Palaeozoic sandstones of the Arabian Peninsula has important implications for our understanding of the environmental and tectonic evolution of the interior of the supercontinent Gondwana during the Palaeozoic.