THE TECTONOSTRATIGRAPHIC LATITUDINAL RECORD OF THE EASTERN RED SEA MARGIN

Abstract

We characterize the eastern Red Sea necking domain through its north-south structural and stratigraphic record. Along-strike segmentation occurred during rifting (~28-14 Ma), with tilted blocks filled by siliciclastic sediments structuring the northern poor-magmatic segment (28°N-21.5°N), while siliciclastic/volcanoclastic sediments and volcanic flows interpreted as SDRs characterize the southern magmatic segment (21.5°N-13°N). Tectonic and magmatic activity stopped in this portion of the margin when a thick salt layer precipitated during the Middle Miocene (~14-13 Ma). The stratigraphy of the margin then became homogeneous between the two segments suggesting similar post-salt subsidence and common crustal characteristics throughout the Red Sea. This work provides new insights into understanding the Red Sea geology and, more broadly, on the tectonostratigraphic evolution of rifted margins in magma-poor and magma-rich settings.