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Geochemical analysis and tectonic evaluation of the Miocene–Pliocene sequence at Al Rehaili area, Northern Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

Geochemical data and approach play a vital role in constraining and evaluating provenance of sedimentary rocks and tectonic settings. It provides valuable information on both the rock compositions of the provenance and the depositional setting. This study is aimed to predict provenance, source rocks, and tectonic settings of the non-marine successions of Bathan Formation (Miocene–Pliocene siliciclastic sequence) exposed along the road cuts at Al Rehaili area, north of Jeddah. The non-marine successions of Bathan Formation were divided into three main sedimentary units (units I, II, and III). From these units, 17 sandstone samples were selected and used to carry out the geochemical analysis using major oxides and trace elements. The examined samples are interpreted as quartz-rich sandstones, which are mainly sourced from intermediate rocks of igneous, sedimentary, and meta-sedimentary rocks of the Arabian Shield. Furthermore, the provenance of the studied sandstones is interpreted as that of mixed granite, granodiorite, rhyolite, and basaltic source rocks. Most of the tectonic discrimination plots indicate that the tectonic settings of the study area are defined as an active continental margin, which approves the interpretation of previous studies.

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Acknowledgments

This research was completed at the Department of Petroleum Geology and Sedimentology at King Abdulaziz University. The authors wish to thank all faculty members of the department for their support during this study. Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) is gratefully acknowledged for their help in providing major oxide analysis used in this study. Special thanks go to the anonymous reviewers for their critical and constructive comments. Furthermore, we thank Chief Editor Prof. Abdullah Al-Amri and Associate Editor for handling the manuscript enquiries.

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  1. Department of Petroleum Geology and Sedimentology, Faculty of Earth Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Faisal Alqahtani & Mohammed Khalil

  2. Assist University, Faculty of Science, Department of Geology, Assist, Egypt

    Mohammed Khalil

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  1. Faisal Alqahtani
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Correspondence to Faisal Alqahtani.

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Alqahtani, F., Khalil, M. Geochemical analysis and tectonic evaluation of the Miocene–Pliocene sequence at Al Rehaili area, Northern Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Arab J Geosci 12, 323 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-019-4491-0

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