GEOCHEMICAL AND STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION OF THE LATE PAN-AFRICAN HAMMAMAT SEDIMENTS, WADI KARIEM AREA, CENTRAL EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT.

Abstract

Wadi Kariem area lies to the thouthwest of Quseir at the Red Sea hills in the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt covering an area of about 250 km2 . It is bounded by Latitude 25° 431 and 25° 57' Nand Longitude 33° 57'

and 34° 151 E (Fig.1). Wadi Kariem area is occupied by the Late Pan African rock assemblage comprising metasediments, metavolcanics and their associated pyroclastics, El-Dabbah granodiorites, Harnmarnat sediments, post tectonic granites and bostonite dykes. The study showed that the following rock units could be arranged from youngest to oldest as follows:

6- Bostonite dykes

5-Post tectonic granites

4-Harnmarnat sediments

3-El-Dabbah granodiorite

2-Metavolcanics and their associated pyroclastics

1-Metasediments

(youngest)

(oldest)

Hammamat sediments at Wadi Kariem area constitute a large basin. Wadi Kariem basin (WKB) which occupied by a thick sequence