6533b85ffe1ef96bd12c0f0d

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Areal extent and first U-Pb age of the Pre-Damaran Abbabis complex in the central Damara belt of South West Africa (Namibia)

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description

The Proterozoic Abbabis Complex emerges from beneath the metasediments of the Late Precambrian Damara Supergroup within mantled gneiss domes and anticlinoria over a wide area in the central granite zone of the Pan African Damara belt. U-Pb dating of composite-, size-, and non-magnetic fractions of metamict zircons from two samples of Abbabis granite-gneiss from the farm Abbabis yielded a concordia intercept age of 1925 −280 +330 Ma. It is speculated that the Abbabis basement rocks are continuous under the Damaran metasedimentary cover and may link up with the Franzfontein basement inlier of similar age. This conclusion supports the ensialic character of the northeastern branch of the Damara orogenic belt.