Tonian–Ediacaran Tectonometamorphic History of the Sa'al Complex, Sinai (Egypt): Implications for the Tectonostratigraphic Framework of the Northern Arabian–Nubian Shield

Abstract

Accretionary orogens involving long-lasting subduction processes are thought to be responsible for developing a major part of the continental crust and are typically accompanied by extensive reworking of the pre-existing crust and episodic magmatism (Cawood et al., 2009). They are sometimes superimposed by collisional orogens and eventually evolve into subduction-to-collision orogens (Liou et al., 2004; Chetty, 2017 and references therein). Such orogens, with variably deformed metamorphic rocks and complexly-evolved magmatic arcs represent a window into the accretion and collision process along continental margins. The Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS; Fig. 1a) is located in the northern part of the East African Orogeny (EAO), representing one of the late Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian collision zones that formed in response to the closure of the Mozambique Ocean (Stern, 1994;