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Geochemistry of basement rocks from SE Kenya and NE Tanzania: indications for rifting and early Pan-African subduction

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Abstract

Amphibolites and orthogneisses from the Taita Hills-Galana River area (SE Kenya) indicate their broad geological-tectonic setting. There are groups of subduction-related rocks which show characteristic REE (rare earth element) patterns and enrichment or varying concentrations of HFS (high field strength) elements. The groups can be assigned to tectonostratigraphic domains marked by different structural styles (e.g., thrust- or strike slip dominated). Tholeiitic gneisses, often emerging as folded and isolated (ridge-shaped) leucocratic bodies, belong to a group of rocks located between the thrust- and strike-slip domain. Compared to calc-alkaline gneisses of the area they contain more mafic inclusions and have lower LIL (large ionic lithophile), HFS and light REE values. These gneisses have chemical characteristics of M-type granitoids of oceanic island arc signature. Intrusion ages of ~955–845 Ma determined for these rocks suggest early Pan-African subduction. Mafic to ultramafic rocks from the Pare mountains of NE Tanzania show evidence of ophiolitic cumulates, subduction settings were also observed for the granulite areas in central and southern Tanzania. Together with the widespread arc settings documented in the Arabian–Nubian Shield, the presented data supports the continuation of an island-continental arc range across Kenya–Tanzania to Mozambique.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our colleagues from the University of Nairobi and Dar es Salaam who have supported this work. Sincere thanks are given to T. Schlüter and D. Hollnack for their help, E. M. Mathu for support in the field and G. Niedermayr for providing maps and reports from SE Kenya. Many thanks to the rangers of the Tsavo East National Park, J. Loizenbauer and H. Fritz for discussion and that they brought along a gneiss sample from the western Galana area, and to F. Bernhard for his help to start the work and valuable comments. A.B. is much indebted to Peter R. Johnson and Victoria Pease for thorough reviews of the ms which greatly improved the readability, presentation and evaluation of the data. The final version was again refined by numerous corrections and suggestions of V. Pease. The fundamental criticism and specific comments by Kent Condie on an earlier version are greatly acknowledged. W. Pohl is thanked for a discussion several years ago (that was not necessarily focused on geology) as well as W. Piller who provided working facilities. I am further indebted to topic editor R. J. Stern and editor W.-Chr. Dullo that this data and ideas could be presented in an international journal. This study was made possible by funding from the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF grants P12375-GEO and P15599) which also allowed me and colleagues to undertake several field trips to E Africa.

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  1. Institute for Earth Sciences, University of Graz, Heinrichstraße 26, 8010, Graz, Austria

    A. H. Bauernhofer, C. A. Hauzenberger, E. Wallbrecher, G. Hoinkes, A. Mogessie & V. Tenczer

  2. Department of Geology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35052, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

    S. Muhongo

  3. Department of Geology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya

    N. Opiyo-Akech

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  1. A. H. Bauernhofer
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Bauernhofer, A.H., Hauzenberger, C.A., Wallbrecher, E. et al. Geochemistry of basement rocks from SE Kenya and NE Tanzania: indications for rifting and early Pan-African subduction. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 98, 1809–1834 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-008-0345-9

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