Saudi Arabia covers most of the Arabian Peninsula and is characterized by tectonic regimes ranging from Precambrian to Recent. Using gravity data to produce the lateral boundaries of subsurface density bodies, and edge detection of potential field data, a new subsurface structural map was created to decipher the structural framework controls on the distribution of gold deposits in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, we detected the relationships between major structures and mineral accumulations, thereby simultaneously solving the problem of edge detectors over complex tectonic patterns for both deeper and shallower origins. Analytic signal (ASg), theta map (TM), TDX, and softsign function (SF) filters were applied to gravity data of Saudi Arabia. The results unveil low connectivity along the Najd fault system (NFS) with depth, except perhaps for the central zones along each segment. The central zones are the location of significant gold mineralization, i.e., Fawarah, Gariat Avala, Hamdah, and Ghadarah. Moreover, major fault zones parallel to the Red Sea extend northward from the south, and their connectivity increases with depth and controls numerous gold mines, i.e., Jadmah, Wadi Bidah, Mamilah, and Wadi Leif. These fault zones intersect the NFS in the Midyan Terrane at the northern part of the AS, and their conjugation is suggested to be favorable for gold mineralization. The SF maps revealed the boundary between the Arabian Shield and Arabian Shelf, which comprises major shear zones, implying that most known mineralization sites are linked to post-accretionary structures and are not limited to the Najd fault system (NFS).
Mineral resources exploration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia became an important target for the Saudi government. Nowadays, the economic vision of the country is to move away from oilbased country to multisource energy-based country. In Baljurashi area there were ancient mines for Copper, Cobalt, Magnesium, Zircon, and some other minerals. In the current study, we aim to evaluate the Baljurashi area in terms of mineral resources using the advanced technique. Consequently, we carried out ground gamma ray spectrometry survey in an area of about 50 km 2 , elevation variation ranges from 380 m to 2280 m above the sea level. We used the RS-700 system to collect the gamma ray spectrometry data. In addition, we used the existing geochemical analysis results for this area and integrated the results to map the most important minerals. The integration work indicates that the area of Baljurashi is rich in mineral resources. The mineralization zones are located in the eastern part of the area where elevation is high (e.g., east of the escarpment). We also found that these mineralization zones are structurally controlled. Important mineral maps were produced (e.g. Cu, Cr, Mn, and Zr). We highly recommend more geophysical studies to evaluate the Baljurashi area for mineral identifications and quantifications.
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