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Ulf Söderlund

Ulf Söderlund

Professor

Ulf Söderlund

Spatial and temporal distribution patterns of Precambrian mafic dyke swarms in northern Mauritania (West African craton) : analysis and results from remote-sensing interpretation, geographical information systems (GIS), Google Earth ™ images, and regional geology

Author

  • Moussa Hamath Ba
  • Hassan Ibouh
  • Khalidou Lo
  • Nassrddine Youbi
  • Mohammed Jaffal
  • Richard E. Ernst
  • Abdoul Jelil Niang
  • Ibrahima Dia
  • El Houssein Abdeina
  • Mohamed Khalil Bensalah
  • Moulay Ahmed Boumehdi
  • Ulf Söderlund
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Summary, in English

We used remote sensing, geographical information systems, Google Earth™ images, and regional geology in order to (i) improve the mapping of linear structures and understand the chronology of different mafic dyke swarms in the Ahmeyim area that belongs to the Archean Tasiast-Tijirit Terrane of the Reguibat Shield, West African craton, NW Mauritania. The spatial and temporal distributions with the trends of the dyke swarms provide important information about geodynamics. The analysis of the mafic dyke swarms map and statistical data allow us to distinguish four mafic dyke swarm sets: a major swarm trending NE-SW to NNE-SSW (80%) and three minor swarms trending EW to ENE-WSW (9.33%), NW-SE to WNW-ESE (9.06%), and NS (1.3%). The major swarms extend over 35 km while the minor swarms do not exceed 13 km. The Google Earth™ images reveal relative ages through crossover relationships. The major NE-SW to NNE-SSW and the minor NS swarms are the oldest generations emplaced in the Ahemyim area. The NW-SE-oriented swarm dykes which are cutting the two former swarms are emplaced later. The minor E-W to WSW-ENE swarms are probably the youngest. A precise U-Pb baddeleyite age of 2733 ± 2 Ma has been obtained for the NNE-SSW Ahmeyim Great Dyke. This dyke is approximately 1500 m wide in some zone and extends for more than 150 km. The distinct mafic dyke swarms being identified in this study can potentially be linked with coeval magmatic events on other cratons around the globe to identify reconstructed LIPs and constrain continental reconstructions.

Department/s

  • Lithosphere and Biosphere Science

Publishing year

2020

Language

English

Publication/Series

Arabian Journal of Geosciences

Volume

13

Issue

5

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Keywords

  • Ahmeyim
  • Landsat 8 Oli
  • Lineaments
  • Mafic dyke
  • Mauritania
  • Precambrian

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1866-7511