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

该项目将研究埃及东南部沙漠中的蛇绿岩(大洋岩石圈的碎片)，并利用这些信息更好地了解具有重大经济意义的矿藏。前人的工作表明，应用弧前蛇绿岩模式对了解中东部沙漠的蛇绿岩组合非常有用，PI建议类似地研究东部沙漠南部的蛇绿岩。重点将放在了解与埃及定义最好的缝合带-阿拉齐-海亚尼-格尔夫缝合带有关的蛇绿岩，该缝合带可以从纳赛尔湖持续追踪到苏丹边境以北的红海。更广泛的影响包括社会相关性，因为科学目标支持经济目标，即了解蛇绿岩对经济矿藏的类型和位置施加的控制(如果有的话)。此外，更广泛的边际社区将获得不同的科学利益。该项目由美国国家科学基金会国际科学与工程办公室共同资助。

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.