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Major- and Trace-Element Chemical Analyses of Rocks from the Northern Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field and Surrounding Area, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2020-08-27T00:00:00Z
This dataset includes X-ray fluorescence (XRF) major-oxide and trace-elements analysis and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) trace-element analysis of Cenozoic, mainly Quaternary, basalts, hawaiites, mugearites, benmoreites, and trachytes from the northern third of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field and surrounding area in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These samples were collected and analyzed to support geologic mapping of the volcanic field and reconstruction of its volcanic history as part of a collaborative project between the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Chemical analyses were performed at the GeoAnalytical Laboratory of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, USA under contract with the USGS. Secondary minerals consisting mainly of zeolites, sulfates, and carbonates are present in pores in many of the collected rocks, and their abundances were reduced or eliminated prior to chemical analysis by hand-picking, followed by soaking rock chips in hot deionized water, and then extended ultrasonication in deionized water. Chemical compositions were further screened to exclude samples with original analytical totals of less than 94 weight percent, yielding a total of 691 samples with acceptable analyses presented in this data release, along with their sample names (called "Stations"), locations as easting and northing (in WGS1984 UTM Zone 37N), stratigraphic abbreviations (called "StratCode") defined in an associated geologic map, XRF and ICP-MS analyses, and other published references.

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