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The central pluton within the Neoproterozoic Kathatina Ring Complex (area of Gebel Mussa, traditionally believed to be the biblical Mt. Sinai) shows a vertical compositional zoning: syenogranite makes up the bulk of the pluton and grades upwards to alkali-feldspar granites. The latters form two horizontal subzones, an albite-alkali feldspar (Ab-Afs) granite and an uppermost perthite granite. These two varieties are chemically indistinguishable. Syenogranite, as compared with alkali-feldspar granites, is richer in Ca, Sr, K, Ba and contains less SiO2, Rb, Y, Nb and U; Eu/Eu* values are 0.22-0.33 for syenogranite and 0.08-0.02 for alkali-feldspar granites. The delta O-18 (Qtz) is rather homogeneous throughout the pluton, 8.03-8.55 parts per thousand. The delta O-18 (Afs) values in the syenogranite are appreciably lower relative to those in the alkali-feldspar granites: 7.59-8.75 parts per thousand. vs. 8.31-9.12 parts per thousand. A Rb-Sr isochron (n=9) yields an age of 593 +/- 16 Ma for the Katharina Ring Complex (granite pluton and ring dikes).

The alkali-feldspar granites were generated mainly by fractional crystallization of syenogranite magma. The model for residual melt extraction and accumulation is based on the estimated extent of crystallization (similar to 50 wt.%), which approximates the rigid percolation threshold for silicic melts. The fluid-rich residual melt could be separated efficiently by its upward flow through the rigid clusters of crystal phase. Crystallization of the evolved melt started with formation of hypersolvus granite immediately under the roof. Fluid influx from the inner part of the pluton to its apical zone persisted and caused increase of P-H2O in the magma below the perthite granite zone. Owing to the presence of F and Ca in the melt, P-H2O of only slightly more than 1 kbar allows crystallization of subsolvus Ab-Afs granite. Abundance of turbid alkali feldspars and their O-18/O-16 enrichment suggest that crystallization of alkali-feldspar granites was followed by subsolvus fluid-rock interaction; the delta O-18 (Fsp) values point to magmatic origin of fluids.

The stable and radiogenic isotope data [delta O-18 (Zrn)=5.82 +/- 0.06 parts per thousand, I-Sr=0.7022 +/- 0.0064, epsilon(Nd) (T) values are +3.6 and +3.9] indicate that the granite magma was generated from a ’juvenile’ source,which is typical of the rocks making up most of the Arabian-Nubian shield. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.