Pleistocene magmatism in a lithospheric transition area: petrogenesis of alkaline and peralkaline lavas from the BaringoBogoria Basin, central Kenya Rift

New petrological, geochronological, and geochemical data on basalts, mugearites, peralkaline trachytes, and phonolites from the Baringo–Bogoria Basin, central Kenya Rift, are presented. K–Ar dating indicates that the volcanic rocks were emplaced between 894 ± 13 and 92 ± 5 ka. 87Sr/86Sr ranges from 0.70304 to 0.70692, 143Nd/144Nd from 0.51237 to 0.51295, 206Pb/204Pb from 18.4 to 19.8, 207Pb/204Pb from 15.46 to 15.70, and 208Pb/204Pb from 38.2 to 40.5. Despite a rather restricted sampling area and a relatively short time span (820 ka), the mineralogical and geochemical variations are not consistent with a simple cogenetic link between the lavas. The studied area is located in a transition zone between two different lithospheric domains (Tanzanian Craton and Panafrican Mobile Belt). We propose that the petrological and geochemical variations of the studied lavas are essentially linked to the nature of the underlying lithosphere. Some basaltic products underwent carbonate contamination, possibly within the c...

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