Geochemical, radiological, and heat-production characteristics of the ElGara granitoids (Southwestern Desert)
Abstract
This study provides an integrated geochemical, petrographic, and radiological assessment of the El Gara El Hamra and El Gara El Soda granitoids in Egypt's Southwestern Desert. Whole-rock major, trace, and REE geochemistry, combined with tectonic discrimination diagrams, reveals that the granitoids belong to ferroan A-type suites and comprise both peraluminous and peralkaline varieties. These contrasting chemistries reflect heterogenous crustal sources and within-plate magmatic processes associated with late Neoproterozoic post-collisional extension. Elemental ratios (e.g., Nb/Yb, Ga/Al) and HFSE enrichments support an anhydrous, oxidized, high-temperature melt regime consistent with the regional evolution of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. High-resolution gamma spectrometry was used to quantify primordial radionuclides (238U, 232Th, 40K). Thorium and potassium show pronounced enrichment in the peralkaline samples, whereas uranium displays moderate variability across the granitoid suites. Calculated radiological parameters-including absorbed dose rate (Dγ), annual effective dose (E_annual), radium equivalent activity (Raeq), and hazard indices-exceed global crustal averages but remain within ranges typical of A-type granites worldwide. Radiogenic heat production (RHP) varies significantly between the peraluminous and peralkaline groups, reaching up to 9.99 µW/m3, indicating favorable potential for shallow-crust geothermal exploration. Organ-specific dose modeling (ICRP-based)…
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