Abstract:
This study is conducted in the Birsheleko area, NW Ethiopian plateau. The main aim is to
determine the Petrogenesis of volcanic rocks and associated mafic dykes. To accomplish the
research objective field investigation, petrographic and major and trace element geochemical
analysis using a combination of ICP-MS and ICP-AES methods was applied. The lithological
units identified in the study area are basalt, scoria cones, dolerite, and basaltic andesite. Basaltic
andesite and dolerite are exposed as a dyke, besides; basaltic units cover most of the study area.
The studied samples are characterized by aphyric to porphyritic texture with a variable proportion
of plagioclase, olivine, and pyroxene as phenocryst. The groundmass is composed of plagioclase,
olivine iron-titanium oxides (opaque minerals), clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene. Based on the
modal analysis the rocks are divided into pyroxene phyric basalt, Olivine phyric basalt,
plagioclase phyric basalt, plagioclase phyric dolerite, and aphyric trachy flow basalt and basaltic
andesite.
Most of the studied samples fall into the tholeiitic group, however; two samples were grouped
into transitional and alkaline groups. From the Harker variation diagram, most of the major and
trace elements did not show a clear trend instead they are scattered suggesting the compositional
variation of the studied rocks cannot be explained in terms of fractional crystalization. In the
primitive mantle normalized multi-element diagram the tholeiitic samples show depletions in
Rb, Th, Ce Pr, P, and Nb and prominent peaks at Ba, K, Pb, U, and Sr. However, the
transitional and alkaline basaltic rocks show enrichment in Pb, Sr, Nb, Ba, depletion in Sm,
Pr, without and the positive anomaly at U and K. This indicates that the tholeiites might
experienced crustal contamination and the alkaline and transitional basalts are not From
(Gd/Sm) N vs. (La/Sm)N diagram, it is determined that all the studied tholeiitic samples are
formed by the melting of the spinel peridotite mantle source at a high degree of partial melting
and shallow depth. In the contrast, the transitional and alkaline basalts are formed by the melting
of the garnet peridotite mantle source by a low degree of partial melting at a greater depth than
the tholeiites.
Keywords: Crustal contamination, Degree of partial melting, Geochemistry, Northwestern
Ethiopian plateau, Petrography