Characterization of Mineralogy, Petrography, Geochemistry and Petrogensis of Basaltic Outcrops in Jurf Ed Darawish Area, Central Jordan

Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate the mineralogy, petrography, geochemistry and petrogensis of the basaltic flows in Jurf Ed Darawish (JDB) area of central Jordan. Sexton representative basalt rock samples were selected from the studied JDB outcrops. Modally, JDB consists of plagioclase, olivine, pyroxene (diopside), opaque's, calcite and iddingsite minerals. Petrographically, basalt is holocrystalline, hypidiomorphic fine to medium grained and exhibited aphanitic to porphyritic texture. The common textures of the JDB rock samples were aphanitic, porphyritic, trachytic, glomeroporphyritic, sub ophitic, vesicular, and amygdaloidal. Geochemically, all of the inspected samples of JDB are located within Trachy basalt and plate alkaline basalt. The tectonic setting of JDB was plotted within the calcalkaline basalt and continental basaltic field. The rare-earth elements showed enrichment of the Ba and K, depletion of Ce relative to K, and enrichment of Nb and Pb with depletion of Y and positive Nb, Zr and Ti anomalies. Negative anomalies of Ba, Sr, Ti and P may be attributed to the fractionation of feldspar for Ba and Sr depletion apatite for P depletion. The positive Nb peak conforms to the tertiary as well as to recent continental alkali basalt provinces and acts as an indicator to the JDB product for the lithosphere from upwelling of the asthenosphere mantle.