Tertiary anorogenic granites of the western border of the Yemen Plateau

North Yemen (Y.A.R.) was affected, from 30 to 20 Ma ago, by intense magmatic activity (Trap Series), contemporary with the main tensional tectonic phases of the Afro-Arabian Plate. In the Trap activity, two main phases have been recognized; the former, mainly basaltic, between 30 and 26 Ma; and the second, mainly acidic, between 23 and 20 Ma. During the latter period of activity, a basaltic dyke swarm and stock-like bodies and dykes (granophyres) were emplaced along the escarpment and coastal plain. Some granitic bodies intruded the Trap Series towards the end of the first phase and during the second one. On the basis of geochemical and petrological data, the Tertiary granites of Yemen belong to alkaline or peralkaline associations of A-type. The textural characteristics indicate that the granites are either hypersolvus or subsolvus. The mafic mineral assemblages allow three main types of granites to be distinguished by their different environments of crystallization. As regards the origin of these kinds of granites, several hypotheses account for the peculiarities observed. The lack of crustal xenoliths, the preliminary data on the Sr isotopic ratio, the data on major and trace elements point to a direct origin by fractional crystallization, without substantial crustal interaction. This agrees well with the strong tensile tectonics, linked with the uplift of the Afro-Arabian dome and with the lithosphere thinning, which provide a minimal opportunity for interaction of the magmas with the crust.