Did Major Impacts Affect Sedimentologic/Sequence-Analytical Pattern of the Early Palaeozoic Sedimentary Systems of Jordan, Arabian Plate?

Werner  Schneider; Elias  Salameh

doi:10.4236/ojg.2012.24024

Werner Schneider, Elias Salameh^*

Abstract: Based on profound sequence-analytical data of the early Palaeozoic sedimentary systems of Jordan, Arabian Plate, a correlation attempt is proposed with regard to possible major impact events after Price [10]. His methodological concept tells that abrupt 441 Ma. Referring to the fact that major impacts may trigger, respectively influence, exogenic and endogenic processes on an over-regional, even global, extent, this paper put the “sensitive” geological setting of Jordan at the Arabian Platform’s margin into focus. That mainly concerns the early Palaeozoic coastlines as to sea level change as well as the Jordan Valley Rift as being possibly to susceptible for tectonic re-activation changes of both direction and speed of plate motions would indicate such convulsive processes as occurred on: 550 Ma, 526.5 Ma, 514 Ma, 502 Ma, 456/455.4 Ma, and following triggering of magmatism at the Precambrian/Cambrian boundary. The following phenomena are taken into account: Faulting and magmatism triggered along the Jordan Valley Rift (Wadi Araba) in connection with the Pan-African Orogeny, anoxic sediments, temporary high detrital input onto the adjoining stable platform from Gondwana hinterlands, and significant chemical weathering in the Gondwana source areas by intensive acid (nitric) rain directing mineral content variation in the “Nubian Sandstones” (e.g. feldspar, kaolinite/dickite, tourmaline).

Keywords: Sequence-Analysis; Impacts; Plate Tectonics; Anoxic Sediments; Jordan

Cite this paper: Schneider, W. and Salameh, E. (2012) Did Major Impacts Affect Sedimentologic/Sequence-Analytical Pattern of the Early Palaeozoic Sedimentary Systems of Jordan, Arabian Plate?. Open Journal of Geology, 2, 241-252. doi: 10.4236/ojg.2012.24024.

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