The Saharan metacraton

摘要: This article introduces the name “Saharan Metacraton” to refer pre-Neoproterozoic––but sometimes highly remobilized during Neoproterozoic time––continental crust which occupies north-central part of Africa and extends in Saharan Desert Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Chad Niger Savannah belt Kenya, Uganda, Congo, Central African Republic Cameroon. poorly known tract continental ∼5,000,000 km2 from Arabian-Nubian Shield east Tuareg west Congo craton south Phanerozoic cover northern margin continent southern Egypt Libya. The term “metacraton” refers a that has been an orogenic event but is still recognizable dominantly through its rheological, geochronological isotopic characteristics. remobilization Metacraton was forms deformation, metamorphism, emplacement igneous bodies, probably local episodes formation related rifting oceanic basin development. Relics unaffected or only weakly old lithosphere are present as exemplified by Archean Paleoproterozoic charnockites anorthosites Uweinat massif at Sudanese/Egyptian/Libyan boarder. explains why should be used, defines boundaries metacraton, reviews data evidence for presence pre-Neoproterozoic crust, discusses what happened Neoproterozoic. A model combining collisional processes, lithospheric delamination, regional extension, post-collisional dismembering horizontal shearing proposed.