Lewin, Anna Anna Lewin 0000-0002-8099-2390 Meinhold, Guido Guido Meinhold 0000-0001-8375-8375 Hinderer, Matthias Matthias Hinderer 0000-0002-5528-3728 Dawit, Enkurie L. Enkurie L. Dawit Bussert, Robert Robert Bussert 0000-0003-3891-2315 Analytical data of bulk geochemistry of sandstone samples from the Enticho Sandstone and the Edaga Arbi Glacials (Palaeozoic, Ethiopia) TU Darmstadt 2018 Provenance Enticho Sandstone Edaga Arbi Glacials Palaeozoic Geochemistry 314-01 Geologie, Ingenieurgeologie, Paläontologie 314-01 Geology and Palaeontology 550 TU Darmstadt 2020-12-01 2020-12-01 2018-11 en Dataset https://tudatalib.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/handle/tudatalib/2533 https://doi.org/10.25534/tudatalib-362 https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/id/eprint/13300 https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/id/eprint/13300 Open Data Commons Attribution License (ODC-By) v1.0 We compare Ethiopian glaciogenic sandstone of the Late Ordovician and Carboniferous–Permian Gondwana glaciations petrographically and geochemically to provide insight into provenance, transport, and weathering characteristics. Although several studies deal with the glacial deposits in northern Africa and Arabia, the distribution of ice sheets and continent-wide glacier dynamics during the two glaciations remain unclear. Provenance data on Ethiopian Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks are scarce. The sandstones of the Late Ordovician glaciation are highly mature with an average quartz content of 95% and an average chemical index of alteration of 85, pointing to intense weathering and reworking prior to deposition. No evidence for sediment recycling was found. In contrast, the Carboniferous–Permian glaciogenic sandstones are less mature with an average quartz content of 75%, higher amounts of feldspar and rock fragments and a chemical index of alteration of 62. Trace and rare earth element concentrations indicate a higher input of juvenile material, most probably from proximal sources. Comparison with stratigraphically corresponding formations in Saudi Arabia shows similar geochemical patterns for the Upper Ordovician, but major differences in the Carboniferous–Permian. This supports previous assumptions of a large, uniform sediment dispersal system during the Late Ordovician glaciation, in which a combination of long transport paths and exceptionally strong weathering prior to the glaciation produced mature sandstone. During the Carboniferous–Permian, the glacial systems seem to have been more localised and glacial abrasion exposed fresh basement material.