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Mafic Dikes of NE Kaapvaal craton, geochemistry and cross cutting relationship ages

Swarms in the dykes may be further defined as the large geological feature that consists of major groups of linear and parallel dikes creates an overlying intrusion within the continental crust with a radial orientation. Several to about hundreds of dikes are emplaced marginally during the intrusive event that occurs once, and they are magmatic and stratigraphic. When such dike, swarms form a large igneous state they might be at one time the cause or origin of a volcanic state. In some areas such as the Archean and paleoproterozoic terrains, mafic dike swarm occurrence is referenced often as pure evidence. This is because of the activity in the mantle plume, which is associated with abnormal temperatures in the mantle.

Dike swarms may have a wide extension of over 400 km (249 mi) in both width and length. The Mackenzie dike swarm located halfly in the Canadian shields in the west is well known as the largest dike swarm in the whole world. It is more than 500 km (311 mi) wide and 3,000 km (1,864 mi) long. However the numbers of huge dike swarms on earth are at a lower level of about 25 only, yet the primary bisection of the most huge swarms is at a poor recognition all over the world. The reasons for this being the age factor and varioust activities of the tectonic (Vel’Azquez and Riccomini et al. 18).Different swarms were established and developed at different times, and on different reasons and current trends of the world. The evidences viable in this sect show the differences.

Swarm is collectively referring to a certain behavior shown by different animals, insects, people or any other group of the same kind that puts them together, for example, migrating together or milling about a very same point (O’loan and Evans 99). In this text, we deal with the trends or patterns of different swarms of dikes in different countries relating them to age, cross cutting relationships, and geochemistry.

Specifically we narrow down to the Mafic Dikes of NE Kaapvaal craton in South Africa.

Field evidence is one of the methods used in determining the age approximations of the complex array of the mafic dykes across the Eastern Kaapvaal craton in the South Africa while the analysis of these trends in the dikes and also the character of petrology of some dyke samples forming the other (Klausen and S”Oderlund et al. 501–522).