Geochronology and distribution of silicic volcanic rocks of Plio-Pleistocene age from the central sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift

1992 ◽  
Vol 13-14 ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giday WoldeGabriel ◽  
Robert C. Walter ◽  
James L. Aronson ◽  
William K. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Main Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Silicic Volcanic

scholarly journals The effect of hydrogeological and hydrochemical dynamics on landslide triggering in the central highlands of Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 1239-1260
Author(s):  
Tesfay Kiros Mebrahtu ◽  
Andre Banning ◽  
Ermias Hagos Girmay ◽  
Stefan Wohnlich
Keyword(s):  
Hydrostatic Pressure ◽  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Chemical Characterization ◽  
Unconsolidated Sediments ◽  
Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Main Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Groundwater Level Fluctuations ◽  
Landslide Mass ◽  
Landslide Triggering

AbstractThe volcanic terrain at the western margin of the Main Ethiopian Rift in the Debre Sina area is known for its slope stability problems. This report describes research on the effects of the hydrogeological and hydrochemical dynamics on landslide triggering by using converging evidence from geological, geomorphological, geophysical, hydrogeochemical and isotopic investigations. The chemical characterization indicates that shallow to intermediate aquifers cause groundwater flow into the landslide mass, influencing long-term groundwater-level fluctuations underneath the landslide and, as a consequence, its stability. The low content of total dissolved solids and the bicarbonate types (Ca–Mg–HCO3 and Ca–HCO3) of the groundwater, and the dominantly depleted isotopic signature, indicate a fast groundwater flow regime that receives a high amount of precipitation. The main causes of the landslide are the steep slope topography and the pressure formed during precipitation, which leads to an increased weight of the loose and weathered materials. The geophysical data indicate that the area is covered by unconsolidated sediments and highly decomposed and weak volcanic rocks, which are susceptible to sliding when they get moist. The heterogeneity of the geological materials and the presence of impermeable layers embodied within the highly permeable volcanic rocks can result in the build-up of hydrostatic pressure at their interface, which can trigger landslides. Intense fracturing in the tilted basalt and ignimbrite beds can also accelerate infiltration of water, resulting to the build-up of high hydrostatic pressure causing low effective normal stress in the rock mass, giving rise to landslides.

scholarly journals Origin of Fluoride and Arsenic in the Main Ethiopian Rift Waters

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
Gianluca Bianchini ◽  
Valentina Brombin ◽  
Chiara Marchina ◽  
Claudio Natali ◽  
Tewodros Rango Godebo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hot Spring ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
Volcanic Glass ◽  
Spring Water ◽  
World Health ◽  
Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Main Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Health Organization

In the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) area, rural populations often use water that exceeds the World Health Organization thresholds for fluoride (F–) and arsenic (As), two elements that are hazardous for human health. In this study, twenty-nine water samples were collected from lakes and hot and cold springs in southern MER to investigate source(s) and health-risk of the F– and As contamination. According to major ion and trace element analyses, only cold spring water is safe for consumption, whereas hot spring water is the most contaminated. Leaching tests performed with the MER rhyolitic volcanic rocks and their weathered products (fluvio-lacustrine sediments) demonstrate that the main cause of the F– and As release is geogenic, i.e., not related to anthropogenic activities. The weathering of volcanic glass and minerals (apatites, clays, hydro-oxides) by CO2-bearing alkaline water induces the mobilisation of F– and As from solid to liquid phase. This process is particularly fast, when fluvio-lacustrine sediments are involved, and can be further enhanced by hot groundwater leaching. This study, investigating the distribution, sources, and mechanisms of F– and As release in MER water, could be of interest also for other sectors of the East African Rift and other similar volcano-tectonic settings.

scholarly journals Transition from Plume-driven to Plate-driven Magmatism in the Evolution of the Main Ethiopian Rift

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 1681-1715
Author(s):  
Dejene Hailemariam Feyissa ◽  
Hiroshi Kitagawa ◽  
Tesfaye Demissie Bizuneh ◽  
Ryoji Tanaka ◽  
Kurkura Kabeto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Flood Basalt ◽  
Geochemical Data ◽  
Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Main Ethiopian Rift ◽  
Afar Depression ◽  
Secular Variations ◽  
Mafic Lavas ◽  
Mantle Potential Temperature

Abstract New K–Ar ages, major and trace element concentrations, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope data are presented for Oligocene to recent mafic volcanic rocks from the Ethiopian Plateau, the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER), and the Afar depression. Chronological and geochemical data from this study are combined with previously published datasets to reveal secular variations in magmatism throughout the entire Ethiopian volcanic region. The mafic lavas in these regions show variability in terms of silica-saturation (i.e. alkaline and sub-alkaline series) and extent of differentiation (mafic through intermediate to felsic). The P–T conditions of melting, estimated using the least differentiated basalts, reveal a secular decrease in the mantle potential temperature, from when the flood basalt magmas erupted (up to 1600 °C) to the time of the rift-related magmatism (<1500°C). Variations in the Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the mafic lavas can account for the involvement of multiple end-member components. The relative contributions of these end-member components vary in space and time owing to changes in the thermal condition of the asthenosphere and the thickness of the lithosphere. The evolution of the Ethiopian rift is caused by a transition from plume-driven to plate-driven mantle upwelling, although the present-day mantle beneath the MER and the Afar depression is still warmer than normal asthenosphere.

Regionally continuous Miocene rhyolites beneath the eastern Snake River Plain reveal localized flexure at its western margin: Idaho National Laboratory and vicinity

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-270
Author(s):  
Kyle L. Schusler ◽  
David M. Pearson ◽  
Michael McCurry ◽  
Roy C. Bartholomay ◽  
Mark H. Anders
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Snake River Plain ◽  
North American Plate ◽  
Snake River ◽  
Trace Element Geochemistry ◽  
Deep Borehole ◽  
Age Progression ◽  
Western Margin ◽  
Silicic Volcanic ◽  
River Plain

The eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) is a northeast-trending topographic basin interpreted to be the result of the time-transgressive track of the North American plate above the Yellowstone hotspot. The track is defined by the age progression of silicic volcanic rocks exposed along the margins of the ESRP. However, the bulk of these silicic rocks are buried under 1 to 3 kilometers of younger basalts. Here, silicic volcanic rocks recovered from boreholes that penetrate below the basalts, including INEL-1, WO-2 and new deep borehole USGS-142, are correlated with one another and to surface exposures to assess various models for ESRP subsidence. These correlations are established on U/Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar sanidine age determinations, phenocryst assemblages, major and trace element geochemistry, δ18O isotopic data from selected phenocrysts, and initial εHf values of zircon. These data suggest a correlation of: (1) the newly documented 8.1 ± 0.2 Ma rhyolite of Butte Quarry (sample 17KS03), exposed near Arco, Idaho to the upper-most Picabo volcanic field rhyolites found in borehole INEL-1; (2) the 6.73 ± 0.02 Ma East Arco Hills rhyolite (sample 16KS02) to the Blacktail Creek Tuff, which was also encountered at the bottom of borehole WO-2; and (3) the 6.42 ± 0.07 Ma rhyolite of borehole USGS-142 to the Walcott Tuff B encountered in deep borehole WO-2. These results show that rhyolites found along the western margin of the ESRP dip ~20º south-southeast toward the basin axis, and then gradually tilt less steeply in the subsurface as the axis is approached. This subsurface pattern of tilting is consistent with a previously proposed crustal flexural model of subsidence based only on surface exposures, but is inconsistent with subsidence models that require accommodation of ESRP subsidence on either a major normal fault or strike-slip fault.

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