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.