THE ORIGIN OF TECTONIC EXTRUSIONS AND COMPLEX STRUCTURAL FEATURES IN THE WEST-CENTRAL REGION OF YEMEN (MIDDLE EAST)

The lithology of the West-Central Yemen (Middle East) consists of Precambrian gneissic basement rocks with post-tectonic intrusions of granites and granodiorite. Minor outcrops of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks and extensive volcanic extrusions of basaltic rocks are noticeable in the surrounding region of Ibb City and Qa’tabah district yet; such volcanic extrusions fade away further east towards Hammam-Damt and Juban districts with a shift in magma composition from basaltic to rhyolitic. According to the Yemen Geological Survey and Mineral Resource Board (YGSMRB), the origin and age of such extrusive bodies that manifest on the surface as dikes, lava flows, and small (currently passive) cinder-con volcanoes are Cenozoic volcanic rocks without a clear clarification on whether they occurred as a pre-rift, post-rift, or during the rifting dynamics of the Arabian Peninsula and the opening of the Red Sea. Furthermore, complex structural features such as cross-folding, thrust-faulting and contact metamorphic zones were noticeable to be associated with such volcanic extrusions. The Author started physically surveying the Ibb City region and further east towards Hammam Damt in 2008. Moreover, old and new data will be compiled to draw a viable correlation of this structurally complex lithological zone to the regional tecto-volcanic setting of West-Central Yemen.

Funded by US Dept. of Education (USDOE) Grant titled "Enhancing African American Students' Talents." And the “NASA Space Grant at CUNY-York College”.