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