Omo-Gibe River Basin Development Master Plan Study / Survey and Analysis Report Vol V, Section II, C1, Page 1

Geological Survey
Contents
Contents...................................................................................................................
1 Introduction........................................................................................................
1.1 Objectives..........................................................................................................................
1.2 Methodology......................................................................................................................
1.3 Location and access..........................................................................................................
1.4 Previous geological studies...............................................................................................
1.5 Geological map compilation...............................................................................................
2 Regional geological setting..............................................................................

3 Geology of the Omo-Gibe Basin......................................................................
3.1 Pre-cambrian basement rocks...........................................................................................
3.1.1 Mafic (hornblende) gneiss (PChb).......................................................................
3.1.2 Biotite-hornblende gneiss (PCbh)........................................................................
3.1.3 Meta-sedimentary gneiss (PCgb)........................................................................
3.1.4 Quartz-feldspar gneiss (PCqf).............................................................................
3.1.5 Muscovite-biotite granitoid gneiss (PCmb)...........................................................
3.1.6 The younger granites (PCgt, Pg).........................................................................
3.1.7 Pre-cambrian metamorphism and structure.........................................................
3.2 Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks........................................................................................
3.3 Tertiary volcanics...............................................................................................................
3.3.1 The 'Flood Basalts' (Pv).......................................................................................
3.3.2 The ‘Felsic Volcanics’ (PNv): Oligocene to Miocene............................................
3.3.3 Nazareth Group (NMn): Miocene to Pliocene.........................................................
3.3.4 Rhyolite-Trachyte flows and ignimbrites (NQr, NQg, NQs)..................................
3.3.5 Structure of the Tertiary period.............................................................................
3.4 Quaternary volcano-sedimentary succession....................................................................
3.4.1 Fluvial and lacustrine sediments..........................................................................
3.4.2 Basaltic flows and tuffs (QHn, Qv1, Qv2).............................................................
4 Conclusions........................................................................................................
Bibliography / References......................................................................................
Omo-Gibe River Basin Development Master Plan Study / Survey and Analysis Report Vol V, Section II, C1, Page 1
Geological Survey
Annexes....................................................................................................................
Annex A Figures......................................................................................................................
List of figures...................................................................................................................
Figure 1 Time scale for the Tertiary Era........................................................................
Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the stratigraphic relationships of the Tertiary

and Quaternary rocks in the Omo-Gibe Basin.................................................................
Figure 3 Geological cross-section of the Omo-Gibe Basin............................................
Figure 4 The Rift Valley system of Kenya and Ethiopia................................................
Geological Survey
1 Introduction
This report describes the geology of the Omo-Gibe River Basin and was compiled as part of the
Survey and Analysis Report. The report provides an accompaniment to the 1:250,000 scale
Geological Map of the Omo-Gibe River Basin also prepared during the Survey and Analysis
phase of the study.
1.1 Objectives
This report and the accompanying geological map were prepared as a basic account of the
geology of the Omo-Gibe Basin, in order to understand the occurrence, distribution and
geological controls of its natural resources. The main objectives were to provide :-
i) an account of the basic and essential geological information on the Basin that could
be used in assessing the area's resources and development potential (water
resources, agriculture, energy resources and construction)
ii) a broad assessment of the mineral resource potential and the identification of
priority areas for future mineral exploration, including industrial minerals,
construction materials and the Basin's ground water potential
1.2 Methodology
This report provides a summary of previous geological work in the area of the Omo-Gibe River
Basin, with the historical data being supplemented by important field observations over most of
the Basin's area. Following the Phase I study, it was recognised that the southern part of the
Basin, south of latitude 6 o 15’ N, was fairly well understood and documented, particularly as a
result of the Omo River Project (Davidson, 1983). However, 51,000 km 2 of the basin, about two-
thirds of its area, required systematic geological mapping; this is particularly significant as much
of this unmapped area comprises the more densely populated and fertile highlands. It was
estimated that about 23 man-months would be required to carry out this systematic mapping
work, but as a large part of the unmapped area was only covered by a few volcanic units, it was
judged more effective in terms of resources to utilise satellite imagery and air photograph
interpretation. As a result, a six man-month geological survey was undertaken, with the field
investigations receiving considerable support from the detailed interpretation of enhanced
Landsat TM and Landsat MSS imagery at 1:100,000 and 1:250,000 scales. Thus, the map
preparation utilised modern GIS and satellite imagery interpretation techniques which have
become standard procedures used by many national geological surveys and commercial
organisations.
The geological survey team comprised one consultant field geologist, supported by two junior
geologists; further support was provided by a consultant geologist based in Addis Ababa, as well
as the Minerals Specialist. The field investigations built on the past personal geological
experience of the survey team in the western and south-western parts of the Basin, as well as
their experience to the south-east of the Omo-Gibe Basin, and to the west in the Baro-Akobo
Basin.
Before commencing the field work, one man-month was spent reviewing relevant geological
literature. Following this, the geological field work in Phase II was undertaken in two stages,
requiring four man-months, as follows:
· firstly in the Maji and Jima areas, between 6 oN and 8oN (one man-month). This was
planned so that the unmapped area immediately north of the area mapped during
the Omo River Project could be investigated initially.
· this was followed by mapping of areas north of 8 oN (2 man-months), as well as

supplementary mapping in critical areas of the southern part of the Basin, the latter
requiring one man-month.
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Traverses were carried out in these areas, either by vehicle or on foot, with representative fresh
rock samples being collected for later petrographic analysis. Initially, the geological survey team
worked together, but as the junior geologists gained in experience they carried out traverses
independently, particularly in the second field trip period when 4-wheel drive vehicles were more
readily available. The information collected was plotted on 1:60,000 aerial photographs, as well
as 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 topographic base maps. GPS (Global Position System) was used in
areas where map location of observation points was difficult. Details of access to the Basin are
summarised in Section 1.3.
Following completion of the field work, one man-month was spent studying thin-sections of rock
samples collected, processing of field data, aerial photograph and satellite imagery interpretation,
and finally, final map preparation and report writing.
1.3 Location and access

The Omo-Gibe River Basin lies in the south-west part of Ethiopia and extends from 150 km west
of Addis Ababa south-west to Ethiopia's boundary with Sudan and Kenya. The Basin
encompasses parts of the Southern Ethiopia People's Administrative Region and the Oromiya
Administrative Region. It is bounded to the west by the Baro-Akobo River Basin, to the north by
the Abay River basin, to the east by the Awash River Basin and the Ethiopian and Chew Bahir rift
valleys, and to the south by the Kenya and Sudan borders.
A network of all-weather and dry-weather roads crosses various parts of the Basin, making most
parts accessible by four wheel drive vehicle. The exception to this is the central part (between
Jima and Jinka) which is extremely rugged. The only access to this part of the Basin are the
Jima-Chida-Amaya and the Chida-Waka-Sodo dry-weather roads.
The northern parts of the Basin can be reached from Addis Ababa by road to the towns of Gedo
and Bako. The central parts can be reached through the road network connecting Addis Ababa
with the towns of Weliso, Jima and Bonga. Travel by foot or pack animals is also possible along
numerous trails in the more populated highland regions. The south-eastern and southern sectors
can be accessed via the Sodo-Arba Minch-Konso-Key Afer-Jinka-Omo Rate road. In addition,
scheduled air services link Addis Ababa to Jima, Sodo, Jinka, Bulki and Maji.
For the most part, the study area is either heavily forested or has thick soil cover; the western
area is generally forested, while the eastern part is soil covered. In the heavily forested areas,
road cuts occasionally provided highly weathered bedrock exposures which are usually difficult to
identify. In areas where original forest has been cleared, no bedrock exposures are observed
due to the thick soil cover. In such areas, there is a shortage of readily available rock
construction material, and mapping relied on the few quarries developed by the local people, and
the indication of most quarries on the 1:50,000 scale topography maps was helpful in this regard.
In addition, local inhabitants were helpful in indicating spots of rock exposures.
The area between latitudes 6º N and 7º 30' N is comprised of exceedingly rugged terrain and, as
noted above, access to much of the area proved extremely difficult. These situations caused
great difficulties in the geological investigations in this region of the study area.
1.4 Previous geological studies

The principal sources of geological data used in preparing this report are briefly summarised in
the below. Limitations on space preclude acknowledgement of all the sources referred to,
although as many of these as possible are included in the list of references at the end of this
report.
Existing 1:2 million scale geological maps of Ethiopia, one compiled by the Ethiopian Institute of
Geological Surveys (Kazmin, 1973) and another of Ethiopia and Somalia by the National
Research Council of Italy (Merla et al, 1973) provided a broad picture of the geology of the Basin.
The Ethiopian Institute of Geological Surveys is in the process of compiling an updated geological
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map of Ethiopia at 1:2 million scale incorporating the geological advances of the past 20 years
(Mengesha et al, 1991).
Kazmin (1971, 1972, 1975a, 1975b, 1978, 1979) proposed the first stratigraphic subdivision and
tectonic synthesis of the Pre-cambrian rocks of Ethiopia and interpreted the geology of western
and south-western Ethiopia on the basis of plate tectonic concepts. Vail et al (1976, 1983, 1985)
contributed important ideas on the geology of Ethiopia in relation to the regional tectonic setting
and metallogeny of north-east Africa.
Kazmin (1979) correlated the stratigraphy of the volcanic rocks of Ethiopia. Seife et al (1987)
reviewed the geology of southern Ethiopia, while Zannatin et al (1974, 1976, 1978, 1980)
conducted research on the same subject but in central Ethiopia.
A systematic regional geological mapping and mineral exploration programme of the Pre-
cambrian rocks in south-west Ethiopia was undertaken between 1972 and 1974 by the CIDA-
funded Ethiopian-Canadian Omo River Project (Davidson et al, 1973, 1976, 1983). This study
covered the southern part of the Omo-Gibe River Basin. It resulted in geological and
geochemical maps and accompanying reports for areas underlain by Pre-cambrian basement
rocks, Tertiary volcanic rocks and Quaternary volcanic and sedimentary rocks, in parts of Gamo-
Gofa, Keffa, Sidamo and Illubabor regions. Preliminary reports and geological maps at 1:250,000
scale (Davidson et al, 1973, 1976) and a final report with a geological map at 1:500,000 scale and
geochemical maps at 1:250,000 scale (Davidson, 1983) were published, as well as other
research papers emanating from the study (Davidson and McGregory, 1976; Moore and
Davidson, 1978; Davidson and Rex, 1980). These works represent the most comprehensive
geological studies undertaken within the Omo-Gibe basin and constitute the major source of data
used in compiling the geological map of the Basin’s southern part.
Other geological studies included the work undertaken in the Lake Turkana area by the French-
American-Kenyan expedition that investigated fossils and other fauna in the Plio-Pleistocene
deposits of the lower Omo Basin. The results of this work were published in numerous papers in
the 1960s and 1970s, including a detailed study of the petrology of the Quaternary volcanic rocks
of the Korath Range north-west of Lake Turkana (Brown and Carmichael, 1969). A
comprehensive review of the lower Omo Basin and the Omo River Delta was published by Butzer
(1971).
Some limited geological mapping has been carried out by the Ethiopian Institute of Geological
Surveys (EIGS) in connection with studies of coal, lignite and oil shale deposits in the central part
of the Omo-Gibe Basin south of Jima (Bae et al, 1989), and further to the south (Bisrat and
Herman, 1984). The EIGS has also carried out geological mapping in the Ethiopian Rift, to the
east of the Basin, at a scale of 1:500,000 (Kazmin and Seife, 1981) and the 1:250,000 scale
Nazareth Map Sheet NC 37-15 (Seife, 1978) covering most of the Ethiopian Rift between
latitudes 8ºN and 9ºN.
1.5 Geological map compilation

On a regional scale, the geology of the southern part of the Omo-Gibe Basin, south of latitude
6°15'N, comprising Pre-cambrian basement rocks, Tertiary volcanic rocks and Quaternary
volcanics and sediments was well documented as a result of the CIDA/EIGS Omo River Project.
However, most of the Omo-Gibe Basin north of latitude 6º15'N, comprising more than 50 000
km², had not previously been geologically mapped; this survey concentrated on mapping this part
of the Basin. Of the total Basin area, almost 79,000 km 2, approximately 51,000 km 2 has been
mapped during the Project’s survey programme, both during the Reconnaissance Phase survey
and in more detail in Phase II. This mapping represents a major new contribution to the
geological knowledge of the western and south-western parts of the country.
The geological map accompanying this report was compiled at 1:250,000 scale, using the
1:250,000 topographic maps as a control. The base map was compiled as four sheets, each
extending across the full width of the Basin:
i) Welkite Sheet between 9°30'N and 8°00'N, covering 14,200 km2
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ii) Jima Sheet between 8°00'N and 7°00'N, covering 22,500 km2
iii) Maji Sheet between 7°00'N and 6°00'N, covering 21,750 km2
iv) Jinka Sheet between 6°00'N and the Kenya-Sudan border covering 20,500 km 2.
At a scale of 1:250,000, the map could only be reproduced as a series of 13 map sheets.
Besides being difficult to handle, this scale detracts from appreciating the overall geological
setting of the Basin. Therefore, the original 1:250 000 scale map was digitised and incorporated
into the Omo-Gibe Basin Project Geographical Information System (GIS) so that it can be
reproduced at any desired scale. Experience of working with the map has shown that using a
scale of 1:500,000 is most useful as it allows the whole Basin to be presented on one sheet while
retaining all the necessary detail.
The map legend and the symbols used to identify the lithological units on the 1:250,000 scale
geological compilation were based on those used by the Omo River Project (Davidson, 1983) for
the sake of continuity and comparability. The Omo River Project had very few accurate age
dates for the Tertiary volcanic rocks and therefore used the slightly unusual classification of
Palaeogene (65 - 22.5 million years) and Neogene (22.5 - 2 million years) with further subdivision
on the basis of the more conventional divisions of Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene,
Pleistocene and Holocene.
The symbols (identifiers) used for the lithological units are composed of upper case prefix letters
indicating the age of the rock unit and lower case suffix letters indicating the mineralogy or name
of the rock unit. The prefix letters used were:
Q Quaternary
QH Holocene
QP Pleistocene
N Neogene
NP Pliocene
NM Miocene
P Palaeogene
PO Oligocene
PEEocene
PC (Pc) Pre-cambrian
The suffix letters used by the Omo River Project were complex and sometimes slightly confusing,
mainly because they evolved as the project progressed and as knowledge and understanding of
the lithologies developed. For this study, the suffixes have been simplified, as not all the
lithologies covered by the Omo River Project are found in the Omo-Gibe Basin. The main suffix
letters used in the Omo-Gibe River Basin are as follows:
a alluvium, non-specific
r river alluvium
l lacustrine sediments
v volcanics, non-specific
v1 lower (older)
v2 upper (younger)
hb hornblende gneiss
bh biotite-hornblende gneiss
gb biotite-gneiss
mb muscovite-biotite gneiss
qf quartz-feldspar gneiss
gt granite
x high grade metamorphic (granulite or mylonite)
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2 Regional geological setting

The Pre-cambrian geology of southern Ethiopia is similar to that of the bordering countries of
Kenya, the Sudan and nearby Yemen. It consists mostly of metamorphic rocks of greenschist,
amphibolite and granulite facies that represent the southern margin of the Arabian-Nubian shield.
The gneissic rocks comprise part of the “Mozambique Belt”, extending from south-east Africa,
through Ethiopia and continuing to the north and north-east; in Tazania, similar rocks have been
dated at 2,900 to 2,600 million years old.
The country’s Pre-cambrian basement rocks are the result of a complex tectonic and
metamorphic history during Proterozoic times and can be broadly sub-divided as follows:
i) An older series of felsic granite-gneisses, intruded by plagioclase granite batholiths

which are often foliated and believed to represent ancient continental 'cratons'.
ii) A younger series of meta-sedimentary rocks and ophiolite 'greenstones' which are
often intensely sheared and foliated, with well developed 'cataclastic' zones. These
represent slices of oceanic crust obducted (over thrust) onto the older 'cratonic'
gneisses. The cataclastic zones are believed to be the thrust zones or 'sole' of the
ophiolite sequences. Most of the known gold-bearing quartz veins, volcanogenic
base-metals, chromite and platinum deposits are associated with the mafic and
ultramafic (ophiolite) rocks of these greenstone belts (Vail et al, 1986).
iii) 'Younger granites', often pink orthoclase granites, which are not foliated and which
intrude the granite-gneiss and greenstone terrains. These are believed to represent
the final subduction stage of the process of continental accretion.
The Pre-cambrian rocks were eroded to a vast peneplain, apparently a continuation of the Kenya-
Sudan plains to the south and west, during Palaeozoic times.
In early Mesozoic times, there was a major marine incursion from the east depositing the Triassic
and Jurassic Adigrat sandstones and limestones that cover much of the eastern part of Ethiopia
and Somalia. The central and western parts of Ethiopia remained a continental land area
throughout the Mesozoic, with a thin unit of presumed continental sediments being the only
record of deposition.
Marine sedimentation was brought to an end by widespread regional uplift starting in the Eocene
period (40 million years ago), associated with the initial development of the Red Sea and the East
African rift systems. This uplift was accompanied by extensive volcanic activity. At first, this took
the form of huge outpourings of basalt lava (flood basalts) from long fissures that opened along
the line of the rifts. These flood basalts were erupted for almost 20 million years and
accumulated to a total thickness of several thousand metres. They now form the foundation of
the Ethiopian Plateau. However, the details of the geological history between about 30 and 15
million years ago has some uncertainties owing to the scarcity of absolute ages for the felsic
volcanic rocks (see Section 3.3.1), and it is likely that basaltic and more acidic lavas were being
erupted contemporaneously from different volcanic centres (Davidson, 1983), with a progressive
evolution from dominantly basaltic lavas to mainly trachytic and rhyolitic lavas.
It is inferred that volcanic activity declined about 20 million years ago, leading to the localised
formation of a series of shallow lakes and swamps, which developed on top of the flood basalts.
This resulted in the deposited series of shallow-water lacustrine sediments containing
carbonaceous shales, lignite and coal deposits.
Around 13 million years ago, the development of the main Ethiopian Rift Valley commenced,
reaching something approaching its present form by the early Pliocene, about 5 million years ago
(Davidson, 1983). This inaugurated a period of felsic volcanism, including rhyolites and trachytes,
with available dates indicating a duration between 10 and 3 million years ago; these felsic
volcanics extended over much of the central plateau of Ethiopia.
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Finally, during the Quaternary period, the lower parts of the rift valleys were filled with alluvium.
Poorly consolidated sediments now make up the extensive plains of southern Ethiopia and the
depressions of lakes Turkana and Chew Bahir.
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3 Geology of the Omo-Gibe Basin

The geology of the Omo-Gibe Basin can be divided tentatively into five major groups of rocks
according to their age relationships, which in some cases are not well defined owing to some
difficulties in defining geological contacts (see Section 1.3), and the absence of crucial absolute
ages (Section 3.3.1). These groups are:
i) the Pre-cambrian crystalline basement rocks
ii) the early 'flood basalts' of late Eocene to early Miocene age
iii) a transitional series of intercalated basaltic and felsic volcanics of (?)late Oligocene
to early Miocene age; this unit also includes a sequence of interbedded volcanics
and sedimentary rocks
iv) a series of felsic volcanics ranging from (?)early Miocene (‘Pre-rift’) to late Miocene
(‘Post-rift’) in age
v) the Post-rift sediments and volcanics, of Pliocene and Quaternary age
The Pre-cambrian crystalline basement rocks and the Tertiary volcanic succession are separated
by a major unconformity. The Tertiary and Quaternary deposits are generally conformable except
where faulting has caused minor tilting.
Pre-cambrian rocks crop out only in the Southern part of the Omo-Gibe Basin, whereas Tertiary
volcanics extend throughout the Basin. The post-rift sediments of Pliocene and Quaternary age
are mainly confined to low-lying areas in the southern part of the Basin.
3.1 Pre-cambrian basement rocks

When the CIDA/EIGS Omo River Project mapped the Pre-cambrian rocks of south-west Ethiopia,
very little was known about their ages or stratigraphic relationships. During the past 20 years, the
vast amount of geological work carried out on the rocks of the Arabian-Nubian shield in the
Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen has clarified the age, stratigraphic and tectonic
relationships of these rocks (Garson and Shalaby, 1976; Vail, 1983; Vail et al, 1986; Robertson
Group, 1986,1989, 1992).
The CIDA/EIGS team subdivided the Pre-cambrian into three 'domains' based on a combination
of lithology and metamorphic grade:
i) The Hamer Domain, mainly composed of high grade metamorphic (amphibolite-

granulite facies) migmatites, gneisses and meta-sediments of felsic and mafic
composition found to the east, mainly in the Hamer Range and Sidamo Province.
(Note: for a discussion of metamorphic grade, see Section 3.1.7).
ii) The Akobo Domain, composed of low grade metamorphic (greenschist-amphibolite

facies) felsic, mafic and ultramafic meta-volcanics and meta-sediments occurring to
the north-west in the Akobo River Basin.
iii) The Surma Domain, composed of highly tectonised mylonites and cataclastic meta-
sediments and gneiss. These occur in the central area immediately to the west of
the Omo and Kibbish rivers.
It is now believed that these 'domains' although based on empirical observations, closely reflect
the tectono-stratigraphic relationships of the Pre-cambrian rocks. The Hamer Domain is mainly
composed of rocks of the older 'cratonic' province. The Akobo Domain is mainly composed of
rocks of the younger obducted ophiolite (oceanic) province while the Surma Domain is mainly
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composed of the highly tectonised 'sole' (thrust zone) separating the older cratonic migmatites
and gneisses from younger ophiolitic greenstones.
These relationships suggest the presence of an older 'cratonic' area composed of 'continental'
felsic migmatites and gneisses to the west (in the Sudan) and a younger 'oceanic' area of mafic
and ultramafic volcanics and calcareous oceanic sediments to the east. The eastern 'oceanic'
rocks were thrust westwards over the older craton, along a major suture (shear) zone extending
in a north-north-west direction between the Omo River and the Sudan border (along the Tid
Escarpment). However, rocks of both 'cratonic' and 'oceanic' provenance occur in all three
'domains', and following the period of tectonic overthrusting, the area was intruded by the pink
orthoclase 'younger granites'. In the Sudan, these 'younger granites' are generally around 600
million years old. Similar ages have been reported for granites in southern Ethiopia (Kazmin,
1975a).
Sub-division of these Pre-cambrian rocks has been based on metamorphic grade as well as the
their original lithological, stratigraphic and tectonic relationships. The five major Pre-cambrian
lithological units (1-5 below) that occur in the Omo-Gibe Basin are highly deformed and re-
crystallised. However, they can be recognised by their mineralogical composition as representing
the main rock types generally found associated with ophiolite sequences. The sixth type
comprising ultra-mafic gneisses (association number 1 below), does not occur in the Omo-Gibe
Basin itself but in the areas to the east (Konso) and west (Akobo). These associations are as
follows:
6) Muscovite granitoid gneiss = Granite intrusions YOUNGEST
5) Quartz-feldspar gneiss = Arenaceous sediments
4) Meta-sedimentary gneiss = Volcano-clastic sediments (chert/BIF/marble)
3) Biotite-hornblende gneiss = Basaltic volcanics
2) Mafic (hornblende) gneiss = Gabbro-diorite
1) Ultra-mafic (pyroxene) gneiss = Peridotite-hartzburgite-dunite OLDEST
The above are briefly described in the following sections. For more detailed information the
reader is referred to the Omo River Project reports (Davidson et al, 1973, 1976, 1983).
3.1.1 Mafic (hornblende) gneiss (PChb)
These are very dark coloured (melanocratic) rocks composed of amphibolite gneisses, including
hornblende gneisses, that appear to be derived from gabbro, diorite and basic volcanic rocks.
They exhibit well-defined compositional layering in some places and massive textures in others,
suggesting that they may be derived from layered and non-layered gabbro plutons and basaltic
volcanics. They are often strongly sheared and deformed
In areas of amphibolite metamorphic grade, they contain hornblende with minor biotite, andesine,
magnetite, sphene and epidote. In areas of granulite metamorphic grade they contain augite,
hypersthene and occasionally garnet, showing a gradational relationship with the hornblende
gneisses, and are both included in the same lithological unit.
These rocks form extensive northerly trending zones in the southern part of the Hamer Range
north-east of Lake Turkana, with smaller outcrops further north around Jinka. (CIDA map
equivalents = Hamer Domain - Peha, Pgh; Surma Domain - Pex).
In the Surma Domain, gneisses comprising the unit Pex, here abbreviated as PCx for consistency
with current terminology, include (Davidson et al, 1976; Davidson, 1983):
· Undivided lineated and layered gneisses (PCx1) - Strongly lineated biotite and
hornblende-bearing leucocratic quartzo-feldspathic gneisses locally containing
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amphibolitic layers and lenses. Proto-mylonitic gneisses also occur, together with
granitoid gneisses and augen orthogneisses, suggesting that bodies of unit PCx 2 are
included within PCx1.
· Granitoid orthogneiss (PCx2) - These are strongly foliated, relatively homogeneous,

pink to light grey leucocratic biotite granitoid gneisses occurring in sharp contact with
the map unit PCbh. Locally, a granitic texture is preserved.
3.1.2 Biotite-hornblende gneiss (PCbh)
These are medium to dark grey rocks composed of varying amounts of biotite and hornblende,
with minor amounts of augite, garnet, quartz and epidote. They are generally uniform in texture,
with poorly developed layering which indicates that they may have been derived from diorite,
quartz diorite, tonalite plutons or andesitic volcanics. While being less mafic than the hornblende
gneiss (PChb above) in places, they include thin interlayers of mafic, quartzo-feldspathic and
meta-sedimentary gneiss. In areas of granulite metamorphic grade, they have a darker, greenish
grey hue and are more granular in texture.
These rocks crop out over large areas along the eastern side of the Hamer Range, south of Jinka
and along the Tid Escarpment on the west side of the lower Omo where they have been strongly
sheared. (CIDA map equivalents = Hamer Domain - Pebh, Pgbh; Surma Domain - Pebhx, Pex).
In the Surma Domain, rocks similar to the PCbh gneisses are strongly foliated biotite and
hornblende quartzo-feldspathic gneisses, some of which are ortho-gneisses; locally thin layers of
amphibolite, marble, pelitic and quartz-rich and calc-silicate gneisses occur. These comprise the
unit PCbhx (equivalent to the CIDA map Pebhx). The characteristic feature of the PCbhx unit is
the development of proto-mylonite in quartzo-feldspathic rocks, with all gradations from augen
proto-mylonitic to mylonitic features being displayed. It is inferred that this unit is derived by
shearing of rocks of the PCbh unit, and perhaps rocks of the Akobo Domain.
3.1.3 Meta-sedimentary gneiss (PCgb)
These are inhomogenous rocks exhibiting well-defined sedimentary layering. They comprise:
pelitic gneiss containing diagnostic minerals such as muscovite, sillimanite, garnet and graphite;
calcite and dolomite marble; calc-silicate gneiss containing diopside, grossularite and scapolite;
and quartz-rich feldspathic gneiss. These all point to a sedimentary origin, although no evidence
of primary sedimentary structures has been observed, owing to severe deformation and
metamorphism. Many of the quartz-rich and biotite-rich gneisses contain pyrite, pyrrhotite or
graphite and can be traced in outcrop by their gossanous (iron-stained) appearance. Some of the
marble beds can be traced for up to 20 km along strike and provide excellent stratigraphic
markers.
These meta-sediments mainly occur in the southern and central parts of the Hamer Range, south
of Jinka. There are also some smaller manifestations in the area to the west of the Omo River.
(CIDA map equivalents = Hamer Domain - Pegb, Pggb; Surma Domain - Pex).
3.1.4 Quartz-feldspar gneiss (PCqf)
These are pale (leucocratic) grey, pink, buff or cream-coloured gneisses composed of quartz and
a range of feldspars which vary depending on local lithological variations; other minerals include
minor biotite, garnet and magnetite. They are often massive or weakly layered and may originally
have been feldspathic sandstones or possibly granitoid intrusives. They crop out over large areas
around Jinka and the northern end of the Hamer Range. (CIDA map equivalents = Hamer
Domain - Peqf, Pyqf; Surma Domain - Pex)
Geological Survey
3.1.5 Muscovite-biotite granitoid gneiss (PCmb)
This is a light grey or pink-coloured, homogeneous or weakly layered granitoid rock, composed of
feldspar, quartz, muscovite and biotite. It is thought to represent a pre-tectonic granite, now
deformed and metamorphosed along with the enclosing gneiss.
This rock type outcrops along the western escarpment of the lower Omo Rift, north of Mt Naita;
there is also a small dome-like outcrop of this rock west of Turmi village in the Hamer Range.
(CIDA map equivalents = Hamer Domain - Pemb; Surma Domain - Pelx)
3.1.6 The younger granites (PCgt, Pg)
The younger granite plutons, which intrude the older gneiss complex, show a wide range in
composition, texture and mineralogy, from granite to granodiorite. The quartz is strained in some
granites and recrystallised in others. The K-feldspar is microcline and the plagioclase feldspar is
oligoclase. The main mafic mineral is biotite with subordinate hornblende, while the granites west
of Key Afer contain pyroxene. Accessory minerals include magnetite, apatite, fluorite and zircon.
These granites are found in two areas within the Omo-Gibe Basin (PCgt1):
i) Granite plutons in the area around Jinka and west of Key Afer, in the Hamer Range.
The three plutons west of Key Afer are syenitic to dioritic in composition and may
be connected at depth, judging by the extent of the thermal and metasomatic
alteration aureoles.
ii) A large granite pluton occurs in the headwaters of the Muwi and Kibbish Rivers,
west of the Omo River.
These plutons intrude the gneissic complex, but their recrystallisation suggests that they are
either pre-tectonic, or accompanied a later deforming episode, i.e. syn-tectonic.
In addition to these plutons, north-east trending granitic dykes (PCgt1), varying from 1 to 250 m
wide and up to 8 km long, occur in the southern part of the Hamer Range, with the greatest
concentration south of Turmi. They have the same composition as the granite plutons described
above and exhibit a similar type of alteration. Some of the plutons are cut by granite dykes and
some highly deformed dykes are cut by less deformed ones, suggesting that the dykes were
intruded over a period of time. Some dykes are strongly foliated and mylonitised and occupy
local shear zones.
A single granite pluton, located west of Key Afer, is assigned to the map unit PCgt2. It is circular
in plan and is composed of primary, igneous-textured hornblende-biotite granite, containing
abundant microcline and slightly strained quartz. It is inferred tentatively that it is of post-tectonic
origin.
3.1.7 Pre-cambrian metamorphism and structure
Metamorphism
As outlined in the foregoing descriptions of lithological units, the Hamer Range contains high
grade metamorphic rocks that range from middle amphibolite to granulite facies (Davidson, 1983).
The granulite terrain, identified by the presence of hypersthene bearing rocks, occurs in the area
around Dimeka. It is possible that this granulite metamorphism represents the thermal
metamorphic aureole of the granite pluton(s) that underlie(s) this area at shallow depths.
Considerable retrograde metamorphism has taken place and many rocks that once reached
granulite facies have now been reduced to middle and lower amphibolite facies metamorphism.
This is shown by the presence of relict hypersthene, indicative of high grade metamorphism, with
reaction rims of green amphibole around both hypersthene and augite grains, while biotite and
sphene have formed reaction rims around the magnetite grains. For further details refer to Vail
(1976, 1983) and Vail et al (1986).
Geological Survey
Structure
Foliation and gneissic layering in the Pre-cambrian rocks of the Hamer Domain predominantly
trend north-north-west and dip steeply east-north-east. Linear features plunge gently to the north
in the northern areas and are sub-horizontal in the southern area.
Folds with wavelengths ranging from a few centimetres to ten kilometres or more, are common.
Two phases of folding have been recognised, these being:
i) isoclinal mesoscopic folds with axial surfaces sub-parallel to the foliation (intrafolial
folds)
ii) open folds with axial surfaces steeper than the foliation (deformation of older
intrafolial folds)
Both sets of folds deform the gneissic layering and exhibit axial plane cleavage at their hinges.
Most of these folds are asymmetric or overturned towards the west, indicating thrusting from the
east, although a subordinate set of folds are symmetrical or have an eastward vergence.
In the south-east part of the Basin, overturned to relatively open antiforms and synforms with
northerly plunges prevail. This folding event is accompanied by retrogressive metamorphism and
pre-dates the intrusion of younger granites.
In the Surma region, the rocks exhibit a distinctive and uniform north-west trend with moderate to
steep dips predominantly to the west and indications of a steep, consistently north-west oriented
sinistral shear zone. Cataclastic features are common, with some of the quartzo-feldspathic
rocks and pegmatites having been reduced to ultra-mylonite (Davidson, 1983).
3.2 Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks

The Omo-Gibe Basin area was a continental land mass during Palaeozoic and Mesozoic times.
Pre-cambrian rocks were eroded into a low-lying peneplane and subjected to deep lateritic
weathering, with the development of a pisolitic ironstone capping in places (eg the upper Kibbish
River area). It should be noted that the absolute age of this lateritic unit has not been determined.
In the southern part of the Omo-Gibe Basin, the Pre-cambrian rocks are separated from the
overlying Tertiary volcanic succession by a 6-8 m thick residual paleosol composed of red
sandstone and conglomerate (Davidson, 1983). It is resistant to erosion and forms a
conspicuous line of cliffs below the overlying basalt flows. In the headwaters of the Kibbish and
Muwi rivers, the lateritic horizon forms prominent red cliffs at an elevation of approximately 1500
m. Similar lateritic paleosols are preserved along the Pre-cambrian/Tertiary volcanic
unconformity at the top of the Tid Escarpment and in the area north of Jinka.
These sandstones are massive and poorly sorted, with the basal parts being conglomeratic and
the upper parts sandy. The conglomerate is composed of angular to sub-rounded clasts of
quartz, feldspar, quartzo-feldspathic gneiss and pegmatite, set in a matrix of red-brown,
ferruginous, clayey material that constitutes about 30 to 50% of the rock. These clasts are poorly
cemented and generally lack fossils or sedimentary structures. In places, there are remnants of
pisolitic ironstone laterites and silicified ‘silcrete’. These features indicate that the unit is non-
marine in origin and represents a residual desert soil profile composed of lateritic weathered rock
deposited on the peneplained Pre-cambrian surface.
This lithological unit is shown on the accompanying geological map as a line of dots along the
unconformity between the Pre-cambrian and the overlying volcanics. It is referred to as the
(Basal) Red Sandstone.
In the far south of the Basin, the Fejij basalts (POaf) in the east and the Surma basalt in the west
are underlain by discontinuous light buff sands and gravels up to 20 m thick containing petrified
wood. This may be an equivalent of the lateritic sandstones and conglomerates.
Geological Survey
3.3 Tertiary volcanics

The Cainozoic geology of the Omo-Gibe Basin can be sub-divided into four major groups of
rocks, based on their ages relative to the formation of the Rift Valley System:
i) The early ‘Flood Basalts’ of late Eocene to early Miocene age (20-40 million years).
ii) a transitional series of intercalated basaltic and felsic volcanics of (?)late Oligocene
to early Miocene; this unit also includes a sequence of volcanics and sedimentary
rocks
iii) a series of felsic volcanics ranging from (?)early Miocene (‘Pre-rift’) to late Miocene
(‘Post-rift’) in age
iv) The ‘Post-rift’ sedimentary succession of Pliocene to Holocene age (0-5 million
years).
The long hiatus of the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic ended as a result of tensional forces that led to
the development of the Red Sea and the East African Rift Systems in the Eocene period about 40
million years ago. The first stage in the development of Ethiopia's rift system was the opening of
long tensional fissures from which vast quantities of 'flood basalts' erupted. These basalt flows
eventually merged to form a huge basalt plateau up to 3 km thick in places. In some areas, the
separate basalt flows can be recognised and have been given local names. The various local
basalt units that together make up the ‘flood basalts’ were described in detail by the Omo River
Project (Davidson, 1983) and included:
i) Undifferentiated ‘Flood Basalt’ (Pv), in the central area
ii) Makonnen Basalt (POm) in the north-west area
iii) Surma Basalt (NMs) in the south-west area
iv) Assille Group, subdivided into the Fejij basalt (POaf), Langaria volcano-clastics
(PNal) and Bakate basalt (NMab) in the south-east area
These basalts have similar compositions and range in age from the first eruptions in late Eocene
times (at 40 million years) up to the last major basalt eruptions in early Miocene times (at 20
million years). Separating these local basalt flows can be difficult and for the purpose of this
study they have been mapped as a single sequence identified as Palaeogene basalts (Pv),
although where possible they have been differentiated on the geological map, particularly in the
southern and western parts of the Basin.
3.3.1 The 'Flood Basalts' (Pv)
These basalts represent the thickest and most widespread rock type of the Tertiary volcanic
sequence. They are the products of fissure eruptions and are characterised by thin, extensive
flows, locally columnar jointed, or with jointing parallel to the flow layering. In places, the basalts
include thin inter-flow sediments, ignimbrites and minor felsic volcanics. They overlie the (Basal)
Red Sandstone described in Section 3.2, and where the sandstone is missing, they rest directly
on the Pre-cambrian basement.
It is possible that the ‘flood basalts’ underlie all of the Omo-Gibe Basin north of latitude 6°00'N
reaching a maximum thickness in the north-east of the Basin (in the Ari Highlands 3000 m) and
thinning gradually towards the south (in the Maji Highlands 1250 m, and 200 m in the Fejij area of
the Hamer Range). The upper surface of the basalt slopes gradually from north to south, from an
elevation of 2000 m in the north-east, to 1800 m at Jima, 1500 m at the Gojeb River, and
ultimately to 700m in the lower Omo valley. This regional gradient is probably a result of the
subsidence of the Omo-Turkana rift, as the upper surface of the basalt on the escarpments to the
west of the Omo (at Maji and Surma) is at approximately 1500-1600 m; and east of the Omo
(north of Jinka) it is at approximately 2000 m.
Geological Survey
The flood basalts are resistant to weathering and give rise to flat topped plateaux with deep,
narrow gorge-like valleys. Where the basalts are overlain by younger volcanics, rivers often cut
down to the top of the basalt which then forms a resistant floor, with the river expanding by
headward and side wall erosion to form wide flat-bottomed valleys. Example of this occur in the
Gilgel Gibe Valley north-east of Asendabo and in the Omo Valley west of Areka.
The basalts are generally either aphyric or porphyritic, containing olivine or plagioclase
phenocrysts or even both. Olivine is the most common phenocryst mineral, with pyroxene and
plagioclase phenocrysts being less common, while augite phenocrysts are rare. These
phenocrysts make up as much as 20% of the rock. Plagioclase laths in the groundmass are
random to well-oriented and in the massive basalt types they show an ophitic texture. Small
titano-magnetite crystals are present as accessories. Amygdales containing zeolites, calcite,
chalcedony, agate and amethyst occur in the vesicular flow tops in many places. The main
sequence of basalts ranges in age from 42.7-19.4 million years (Davidson, 1983).
Makonnen Basalt (Pom)
The Makonnen Basalt is the name given to the 700 m thick sequence of columnar basalts that
crops out to the east of the Omo-Gibe Basin on the high plateau between the Baro and Akobo
rivers. The basalts are aphyric or porphyritic, with plagioclase and olivine phenocrysts, and
usually display columnar jointing. The Makonnen Basalt extends into the western part of the
Omo-Gibe Basin, although it is difficult to locate its boundaries owing to dense forest cover. It
ranges in age from 34.8 to 28.8 million years, and perhaps to 23.1 million years (Davidson, 1983).
In the northern part of the Basin, in the vicinity of Bako and Gedo, basalts occur. These include
porphyritic basalts with phenocrysts of olivine and plagioclase, and aphyric basalts both of which
are contain local amygdales of chalcedony and chlorite. In addition, minor porphyritic trachytes
occur. In this study, this basalt unit was correlated tentatively with the Makonnen Basalt although
it overlies the felsic volcanics (PNv) (Section 3.3.2), and could be a younger, unrelated series of
flows, perhaps similar in age to the Surma Basalt (see below).
Surma Basalt (NMs)
The Surma Basalt is the name given to the massive basalt flows that crop out on the Surma plain
along the south-west watershed of the Omo-Gibe Basin. Their age range is uncertain, although
the single date from the Surma Basalt gives a date of 19.4 million years (Davidson, 1983). In its
localised occurrence in the south-west, the Surma Basalt overlies the felsic volcanic units (PNv1
and PNv2).
Assille Group (POaf, PNal, NMab)
In the area to the East of Lake Turkana, along the Ethiopia-Kenya border, there is a relatively thin
(200 m) sequence of basalt flows and intercalated volcano-clastics. They have been correlated
with the Assille Formation of northern Kenya and subdivided as (Davidson, 1983):
i) Fejij Formation (POaf): 150 m of aphyric, sometimes porphyritic basalt, with rare
opal or chalcedony filled amygdales. The lowest flow is dated at 32.8 My.
ii) Langaria Formation (PNal): 40 m of tuffs, ignimbrites, ash, pumice, clay and
sandstone, with a possible date of 22 My; it lies conformably on the Fejij Formation.
iii) Bakate Formation (NMab): a thin weathered basalt of limited outcrop overlies the
Langaria Formation. It is similar to the Fejij Formation, and has been correlated with
the Bakate Formation of Kenya (Davidson, 1983).
The age range of this Group is probably 32.8-20.0 million years (Davidson, 1983).
3.3.2 The ‘Felsic Volcanics’ (PNv): Oligocene to Miocene
Geological Survey
In parts of the Basin where the geological relationships can be established clearly, the Flood
Basalts (Pv) are overlain by a series of more felsic volcanics, although the latter includes
intercalated basalts and pyroclastic rocks. Some rhyolites in this series in the southern part of
the Basin have been dated at 32.7 million years old (Davidson, 1983), and in the extreme south-
west the Surma Basalt (Section 3.3.1), dated at 19.4 million years, overlies the Felsic Volcanics.
However, trachyte, rhyolite and phonolite plugs and dykes (NMh; see below), which are thought
to be co-magmatic with the main felsic lavas, have been dated tentatively at about 13 million
years old (Davidson, 1983). These dates and stratigraphic relationships suggest that basaltic and
more felsic lavas were being erupted contemporaneously from different volcanic centres, with a
progressive evolution from basaltic to more felsic lava production.
Bearing in mind this uncertainty with regard to absolute age, it is inferred that there was a period
of transition between the (?)late Oligocene and early Miocene. A sequence of intercalated acidic,
intermediate and basic volcanics was erupted initially onto the flood basalt plateau, with a warm
wet climate encouraging the growth of vegetation, resulting eventually in coal, lignite and oil shale
being formed (PNv1). This was followed by the eruption of great thicknesses of rhyolite and
trachyte (felsic) volcanics (PNv2) which occur over large areas in the northern part of the Basin.
The major 'flood basalt' eruptions eventually ceased at around 20 million years ago.
Lower Felsic Volcanics and Sedimentary Formation (PNv1)
The volcanic rocks in this formation have a wide range of composition, including:
· basalts
· massive, intermediate andesitic lavas, containing augite and plagioclase phenocrysts
· acidic (or felsic) lavas, ranging from rhyolites, through quartz trachytes to phonolites.
Their texture varies from aphyric to porphyritic, massive to flow banded.
In much of the Basin, the felsic volcanic and sedimentary sequence (PNv1) overlies the Flood
Basalts (Pv), although in the south-west the PNv1 unit rests directly on the Pre-cambrian
basement, and is overlain by flood basalts, such as the Surma Basalt, in localiased areas.
Within the central part of the Omo-Gibe Basin, the ‘flood basalts’ are overlain by a sequence of
tuffs, sediments and lacustrine deposits. These are soft, clay-rich and deeply weathered rocks
forming gentle soil covered slopes with little or no outcrop, and are correlated here with the PNv1
volcanic sequences elsewhere in the Basin. This volcano-sedimentary sequence has not been
described fully in the published literature. In some areas, the Landsat imagery appears to show
them forming wide pediments around (and stratigraphically below) the more resistant, cliff-forming
rhyolite and trachyte lavas of the Upper Felsic Volcanics (PNv2). However, the differentiation
between the PNv1 and PNv2 formations has not been attempted in all the central parts of the
Basin owing to difficulties in verifying the Landsat interpretation, e.g. access and exposure
problems.
Showing their greatest thickness in the Jima area, the volcano-sedimentary sequence seems to
thin rapidly to the west and south and become more tuffaceous to the north and east. The best
recorded occurrence is at the Delbi-Moye coal deposit, 35 km south of Jima, where about 170 m
of sediments have been encountered during drilling (Energy for Sustainable Development (ESD),
1994; Bae et al, 1989; see Minerals Study, Vol X, Section III, H1). Similar coal and lignite bearing
sediments have been observed at:
i) Jiren, 6 km north-east of Jima
ii) Arjo, 130 km north of Jima
iii) Waka, 75 km south-east of Jima.
Numerous minor outcrops of these sediments have been observed in road cuttings between Jima
and Bonga and between Bonga and Waka. Shale and oil shale-bearing sediments, 10 to 65 m
Geological Survey
thick, have also been discovered 20 km south of Bonga by a hydrocarbon exploration team from
the EIGS. In addition, extensive outcrops of clays, siltstones and white rhyolitic tuffs occur along
the river banks and road cuts between Asendabo and Omo Nada (45 km east of Jima). Poorly
consolidated sediments up to 100 m thick were also encountered in drillholes at the Bako Dam
site in the far north of the Basin, which may correlate with the sedimentary sequence in the
Bonga-Jima-Waka part of the Basin.
These sediments are scattered widely over the Basin and are highly variable both laterally and
vertically. The drilling at Delbi-Moye showed poor correlation between drillholes 500 m apart, with
rapid thinning and thickening of the lithological units, the sediments being intercalated with thin
basalt flows and tuffs. The thickness of this sedimentary sequence is not known with any
certainty, but may be more than 200 metres thick and, at Delbi-Moye, perhaps as much as 300 m
thick where it consists of the following volcano-sedimentary sequence from bottom to top (Energy
for Sustainable Development, 1994):
i) The Lower Basalt, inferred to be the top of the underlying ‘flood basalts’ (Pv).
ii) Lower Mudstone. This is a 30-60 m thick mudstone with occasional thin beds of
sandstone, claystone and ashfall tuffs. The mudstone is greenish-grey in colour
with a conchoidal fracture.
iii) Lower Oil Shale. This is a 50 m thick silty oil shale with occasional thin beds of
siltstone, carbonaceous shale and thin coal seams from 0.3 to 1.4m in thickness.
iv) Middle Mudstone. This ranges from 2 to 32 m thick and varies in composition from
mudstone to siltstone, sandstone and minor conglomerate.
v) Upper Oil Shale. At Delbi, this is a 12-17 m thick, laminated oil shale with minor
claystone interbeds that grades laterally into the 25-75 m thick Middle Coal unit at
Moye 3 km to the west. At Moye, it consists of thinly interbedded coal,
carbonaceous shales, siltstones and sandstones.
vi) Main Coal Unit. This is a 15-60 m thick sequence consisting of alternating
carbonaceous shale, coal, claystone, mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. The coal
seams vary from 0.4 to 2.4 m in thickness.
vii) Middle Basalt. This is a 10-12 m thick basalt flow with well-developed secondary
alteration along joints having calcite, silica and zeolite infillings.
viii) Volcano-clastic Sediments. These consists of 4-30 m of intercalated tuffaceous

siltstones, sandstones and breccias, with very thin seams of humic coal. The
sandstones and breccias contain clasts of basalt, mudstone, coal and other locally
derived fragments, indicating localised slumping as a result of seismic shocks. The
fragments and clasts are cemented with silica or iron oxide possibly suggestive of
some localised exhalative activity.
ix) Upper Basalt. This consists of 50-60 m of basalt flows separated by inter-flow tuffs,
breccias and agglomerates. The upper basalt appears to be the top of the volcano-
sedimentary formation and is overlain by felsic lavas of the Upper Felsic Volcanics
Formation (PNv2).
Upper Felsic Volcanics Formation (PNv2)
The apparent hiatus in major volcanic activity during the deposition of the PNv1 sequence in
some parts of the Basin was brought to an abrupt and violent end by the eruption of numerous
felsic volcanoes resulting in the build up of a huge rhyolite and trachyte volcanic complex. This
produced a thick succession of felsic volcanics, pyroclastics and subordinate, intercalated basalt
flows (PNv2). In the southern parts of the Basin, these rocks occur in separate areas west and
Geological Survey
south-west of the Gemu Highlands, on the west side of the Burre Range, in the Surma Plain, the
Maji Highlands, the Ililbai Range and in the Omo and Shorum Plains. These separated
occurrences merge in the central part of the Basin and continue into the north of the Basin.
The trachytes and rhyolites weather to white, yellow or pale brown coloured rocks. The lavas
often exhibit well developed, often convoluted, flow banding on a millimetre scale, but they also
occur as massive flows or intrusions. Rhyolites with both quartz and alkali feldspar (sanidine)
phenocrysts are common, while the trachytes contain alkali feldspar phenocrysts. Porphyritic
textures are common and the groundmass is often finely crystalline. Tuffs, ignimbrites, breccias
and volcanic agglomerates made up of felsic fragments are often interlayered with the felsic lava
flows. Owing to the scarcity of exposure, heavy forest cover and rugged topography, it is difficult
to divide the PNv2 unit into meaningful sub-units.
The volcanic centres generally consist of an intrusive core, or plug, of massive rhyolite or trachyte
(NMh; see below), surrounded by chaotic piles of coarse agglomerates and breccias that grade
outwards to finer grained felsic ignimbrites (welded tuffs) and felsic tuffs (Moore and Davidson,
1978). There appears to be a gradual change in the composition of the felsic volcanics over time,
from early rhyolite to quartz trachyte and finally to phonolite. The extrusive centres were strongly
fault controlled and they often occur in clusters aligned along north-east trending fractures,
particularly along the axis of the Omo-Gibe Basin. The most prominent extrusive centres are,
from south-west to north-east: Mt Naita; Ililbai Range; Mt Mago; Mt Dime; Mt Shasha; Mt
Vennic; and Mt May Godo (Mai Gudo).
The age of these felsic volcanics is not known in detail, but from their association with the
hypabysal intrusive rocks (NMh) they are likely to be older than about 13 million years, and from
radiometric data perhaps as old as 33 million years.
Hypabysal intrusive rocks (NMh)
Many small intrusions of rhyolite, trachyte, phonolite, micro-syenite and micro-granite occur
throughout the Omo-Gibe Basin, in the form of plugs and dykes ranging in size from 100 m to
3.5 km in diameter. These intrude both the Pre-cambrian rocks and the Tertiary volcanic
succession (Davidson, 1983), forming prominent, round to conical hills that rise above the
surrounding areas. Some occur in clusters aligned along north trending fractures (eg Ililbai
Range), while others are scattered throughout the region without any obvious pattern to their
distribution (see Geological Map). The larger intrusions are commonly located at the centre of
thick accumulations of felsic extrusive rocks, while dykes occur both as swarms in association
with some plugs and also in isolation, and trend generally north-south.
At Mt Naita, the central volcanic plug (rhyolite porphyry) towers 1000 m above the surrounding
slopes which are covered by felsic ignimbrites. At Mt Dime, the felsic volcanic pile is almost
2000 m thick and over 75 km in diameter; at Mt Shasha it is over 1100 m thick. Many of the
smaller intrusions are shown on the map as small plugs of phonolite (NMp). Most of these
intrusions are massive, but some exhibit flow textures and, in places, they are porphyritic, usually
with sanidine feldspar phenocrysts. Quartz, amphibole and pyroxene phenocrysts occur in some
of these rocks, and in places they contain xenoliths of the host rocks.
These intrusive rocks appear to be co-magmatic with the surrounding felsic volcanics, however,
they appear to show a wide range of ages (Davidson, 1983). Specifically, the phonolites yield
ages of approximately 13 million years, while other felsic plugs intruded volcanic flows dated at
about 20 million years. In addition, some felsic flows thought to be associated with the Mt
Shasha centre are dated at about 33 million years.
3.3.3 Nazareth Group (NMn): Miocene to Pliocene
The name Nazareth Group is assigned to the series of rhyolite-trachyte plugs, stratoid flows,
ignimbrites, pumice, ashfall tuffs and characteristic lacustrine sediments containing coal and
lignite deposits along the main Ethiopian Rift and adjacent plateau margins. The Nazareth Group
attains a thickness of 200-300 m in the Ethiopian Rift, but is thinner on the adjacent plateau
margins. The ages of these rocks range from 10 to 3 million years (Kazmin, 1979; Kazmin et al,
Geological Survey
1978, 1981). The Group crops out along the north-east watershed of the Omo-Gibe Basin over a
large tract of land stretching from south of Weliso to Welkite-Hosaina-Sodo and Selam Ber, the
rift escarpment, and unconformably overlies the early flood basalts (Pv), with minor intercalated
basalts being found at the base of the Group .
The lower units of the Nazareth Group exhibit sedimentary stratification on aerial photographs.
Waterlain volcano-sedimentary deposits, including sandstones, conglomerates, carbonaceous
shales and lignite are exposed in road cuts and along the banks of the Deme River (37-47 km)
south of Sodo. These deposits of lignite comprise the Welayita-Sodo coal deposit 140 km south-
east of Jima (Minerals Study, Vol. X, Section III, H1). Other lacustrine sediments occur just to
the east of Welkite along the main road; on the road to Imdibir from Welkite; in the Wabe River
Gorge east of Welkite; and in the Walga River west of Welkite. These are intercalated waterlain
volcano-clastic sediments composed of coarse-grained tuffaceous sandstones and white fine-
grained tuffaceous siltstones. These sediments range from 30 to 50 m thick and rest on the flood
basalts.
The dominant rock type of the unit is trachyte which contains feldspar phenocrysts (sanidine) and
whose colour ranges from light-pink to violet-grey. The subordinate rhyolite contains both quartz
and alkali feldspar phenocrysts. Ignimbrites and tuffs composed of felsic fragments and feldspar
crystals are intercalated with the felsic flows. From the volcanic and sedimentary characteristics
of the Nazareth Group, it appears very similar to the felsic volcano-sedimentary and sedimentary
sequences, PNv1 and PNv2, which lie in the western part of the Omo-Gibe Basin.
3.3.4 Rhyolite-Trachyte flows and ignimbrites (NQr, NQg, NQs)
In the northern part of the Omo-Gibe Basin, deposition of the younger sequences of the Nazareth
Group was accompanied by the formation of shield volcanoes of late Pliocene age (2-3 million
years) on the Main Ethiopian Rift escarpments (Kazmin et al, 1978, 1980). On the western
escarpment, the volcanoes of Wachacha, Yerer, Gash Megel, Tembero, Damota and others,
today form prominent landmarks. These young volcanoes are well preserved with little erosion of
the cones and craters, and some contain small crater lakes. Several of these centres, Teza,
Ambricho, Wagebessa and Tembero, line on a NNE alignment suggestive of formation along a
major fault line.
The ejecta from these volcanoes, both trachyte flows and felsic ignimbrites, cover the surface of
the Ethiopian Rift and most of the north-east watershed of the Omo-Gibe Basin. The dominant
rock type is a highly porphyritic trachyte with sanidine phenocrysts, which show flow structures.
3.3.5 Structure of the Tertiary period
During the early part of the Mesozoic era, the area that is now Ethiopia was part of a vast
featureless low-lying peneplane that extended over what is now north Africa and the Arabian
Peninsula. Gradual subsidence of the area to the south-east (Indian Ocean) resulted in the
Mesozoic marine transgression that gradually encroached from the south-east in Triassic,
Jurassic and Cretaceous times and deposited extensive sandstones and limestones across
Somalia, eastern Ethiopia, Yemen and Oman.
The Mesozoic shoreline, at the time of its greatest extent, ran northwards through Somalia,
crossed the Kenya-Ethiopia border near Moyale, then north-west across central Ethiopia to its
most westerly point near Nekempte, still north to Lake Tana and then north-east to Massawa.
From there it ran north-east to Sadaa in northern Yemen and then northwards into Saudi Arabia.
West of this shoreline (at approximately 38°E), the old Pre-cambrian peneplane sloped gently up
to the central African plateau.
At the end of the Mesozoic, a mantle plume developed beneath this area, resulting in gradual
extension and uplift. Rift faults developed along the axis of the uplift, allowing basaltic magmas to
rise to the surface. The main focus of this extension and rift faulting was probably along the axis
of the Red Sea, with smaller subsidiary rifts developing to either side in Kenya-Ethiopia and in
Yemen-Saudi Arabia (Robertson Group, 1986, 1989, 1992).
Geological Survey
In Kenya-Ethiopia, the Gregory Rift extended from just west of Nairobi northwards to Lake
Turkana. Immediately north of Lake Turkana it split at a ‘triple junction’, with the left-hand branch
trending north-west to form the White Nile Valley along the southern Sudan-Ethiopia border. This
north-west (Nile) branch rapidly degenerated into a ‘failed rift’. The right-hand branch trending
north-east developed over the next 30 million years into the Ethiopian Rift. This extends north-
east to Awash where it splits at another 'triple junction' to form the Afar Depression, before
merging into the Red Sea Rift.
The central highlands of Ethiopia are the result of the uplift of the huge triangular block between
the two arms of the ‘triple junction’ north of Lake Turkana.
The lower Omo and Chew Bahir rift basins are the result of the triple-junction split and form an
intricate network of north-west and north-east trending faults, giving rise to a series of small rifted
basins that radiate up into the highland to the north. These include
i) the Akobo Valley trending north-west
ii) the Kibbish Valley trending north-north-west
iii) the Omo Valley (west of the Nkalabong (Nyalibong) Range) trending north
iv) the Usno Valley (east of the Nkalabong Range) trending north-north-east
v) the Segan Valley (Chew Bahir) trending north-north-east
vi) the Ethiopian Rift Valley trending north-east
The Omo-Gibe Basin is developed along the northward extensions of the Omo and Usno rift
valley structures. The western escarpment of the Omo Rift (east of Maji) is almost 2000 m high
and runs north towards Bonga before dying out somewhere in the headwaters of the Gojeb River.
The Omo and Usno rift are separated by the long narrow horst (ridge) of the Nkalabong
(Nyalibong) and Mt Dime Ranges.
The eastern escarpment of the Usno rift is over 2000 m high along the Hamer Range and
Shengema Mountains near Jinka and runs north-east along the upper Omo Gorge before dying
out somewhere near Welkite or Weliso. Between these two major escarpments, the Omo-Gibe
River has excavated a complex series of gorges which follow the lines of the north-west and
north-east trending (second and third order) faults.
It seems likely that the Omo-Gibe Basin was originally drained by two separate river systems.
One drained the Omo Rift Valley, flowing from north to south along the foot of the western
escarpment (ie Bonga to Lake Turkana); the other drained the Usno-Gibe rift valley, flowing from
north to south along the foot of the eastern escarpment (ie Welkite to Lake Chew Bahir).
The ability of the rivers to rapidly cut back along the major faults allowed the side tributaries to cut
across the dividing watershed and capture parts of the adjacent drainage. In this way, the
headwaters of the Gilgel Gibe and the Gojeb rivers (which once flowed south through Bonga and
the Guma-Sherma valleys) were captured by tributaries of the Gibe and diverted eastwards.
Similarly, the Gibe, which once flowed south along the Bala-Segen Valley to Lake Chew Bahir,
was captured by a tributary of the Omo and diverted westwards.
3.4 Quaternary volcano-sedimentary succession

For the last 3-4 million years of the Plio-Pleistocene periods, major volcanic activity was
increasingly confined to the Ethiopian Rift. During this time, geological activity in the Omo-Gibe
Basin was mainly confined to deposition of alluvial sediments in the lower parts of the Lake
Turkana-Lower Omo Basin along with the activity of young volcanoes along the margins of the
Ethiopian Rift.
Geological Survey
3.4.1 Fluvial and lacustrine sediments
The lower Omo area contains a huge thickness of fluvial and lacustrine sediments that fill the rift
valley. Geophysical exploration has indicated that the sediments reach a maximum thickness of
more than 3 km. These sedimentary deposits contain some of the oldest known hominid remains
found along the old shorelines of Lake Turkana. These Quaternary and Recent sediments have
been the subject of numerous studies and have been subdivided into a large number of sub-units
as a result of these detailed palaeontological and archaeological studies (Davidson, 1983).
For this study such detailed subdivision of alluvial deposits was not warranted. For the sake of
clarity and understanding, these alluvial deposits were represented on the geological map as
follows:
5) Undifferentiated alluvium (Q)
4) Recent sediments Q - undifferentiated alluvium

Ql - lacustrine sediments
Qr - river alluvium
3) Kibbish Formation Qk - sand, silt, clay and tuff.
2) Ileret Formation: NQi - gravel, sand, silt, clay and tuff.
1) The Omo Group, subdivided into

(iv) Shungura Formation (NQos), consisting of gravel, sand, silt, clay, tuff,
limestone and basalt
(iii) Usno Formation (NPou), consisting of fluvial and lacustrine sediments
(ii) Nkalabong Formation (NPon), consisting of gravel, sand, minor tuff
(i) Mursi Formation (NPom), comprising upper basalt (NPom2) lower sand, silt,
clay, minor tuff (NPom1)
The Omo Group (NPom, NPon, NPou, NQos)
The sediments of the Omo Group have been studied in detail by various research groups on
account of the rich and diverse fossils they contain (Butzer, 1971b). The Omo Beds (Shungura
Formation) are particularly famous among anthropologists for some of the oldest hominid fossil
remains. (Davidson, 1983). The Omo Group has been subdivided into four units:
i) The Mursi Formation (NPom). This consists of a lower sedimentary unit (NPom1)
and an upper basalt (NPom2). The lower unit is exposed on the south-west side of
the Nkalabong (Nyalibong) range where it unconformably overlies the Upper Felsic
Volcanics (PNv2). It consists of approximately 150 m of clays, silts and sands with
minor tuff and pebble beds. These sediments are conformably overlain by the
basalt (NPom2) which is about 100 m thick and has been dated at 4.2 million years
(Fitch & Miller, 1976; Brown and Nash, 1976). The Mursi basalt is composed of a
few, thin, columnar flows of dark grey basalt which is locally porphyritic with
scattered phenocrysts of plagioclase and amygdules of chlorite. It is very similar in
age and composition to the Harr basalt to the east near Turmi.
The Harr Basalt (NPh). On the Turmi Plain in the far south-east of the Basin,
several small residual caps of basalt overlie the unconformity between the Fejij
basalt (POaf) and the Pre-cambrian crystalline basement. These residual cappings
form a higher terrain than the nearby Fejij basalt. A single age date of 4.2 million
years suggests that it is an outlier of the Mursi basalt (NPom2 above) and has been
correlated with the Harr Formation in northern Kenya. The basalt is columnar
jointed and porphyritic with plagioclase phenocrysts and minor olivine. It contains
occasional amygdules filled with chlorite (Davidson, 1983).
ii) The Nkalabong Formation (NPon). This crops out at the south-western end of the
Nkalabong (Nyalibong) Range. It is about 90 m thick and consists of grey to brown
Geological Survey
fluvial sediments overlain by aeolian sands, waterlain tuffs, tuffaceous sediments

and rubbly basalts. It lies on weathered and faulted Mursi Basalt. An age of 3.95
million years has been obtained from the top part of the Formation (Fitch and Miller,
1969).
iii) The Usno Formation (NPou). This crops out along the west bank of the Omo River,
25 km east-south-east of the southern end of the Nkalabong Range. It is composed
of at least 200 m of intercalated fluvial and lacustrine sediments with thin tuff
horizons. An age of 2.97 million years has been determined for the Usno Formation
(Brown and Nash, 1976).
iv) The Shungura Formation (NQos). Found along the west side of the Omo River,
north of Lake Turkana, these sediments consist of 760 m of clays, silts, sands,
gravels, tuffs, marls and freshwater limestones. They are inclined gently to the west
and are overlain, with a shallow unconformity, by the Kibbish Formation (Qk). They
range in age from 3 to 1.3 million years (Brown and Nash, 1976).
Ileret Formation (NQi)
This is a sequence of light-coloured well-bedded sediments consisting of gravels, sands, silts,

clays and tuffs that outcrop around Fejij, to the east of Lake Turkana. East of Fejij, the lower part
of the succession consists of cross-bedded sandstone with a basal conglomerate lying
unconformably across the lower three units of the Assille Group. Their age is not known but is
considered to be younger than the Harr Basalt and is tentatively correlated with the Shungura
Formation (NQos) of the Omo Group.
Kibbish Formation (Qk)
The Kibbish Formation is a succession of horizontal lacustrine sediments deposited as a result of

the fluctuations in the level of the body of water ancestral to Lake Turkana. They unconformably
overlie the sediments of the Omo Group and are overlain by late Holocene sediments (Butzer,
1969, 1971a, 1971b, 1976; Butzer and Thurber, 1969). The type section is located at the south-
west end of the Nkalabong (Nyalibong) Range where it lies unconformably on the Nkalabong
Formation (Butzer and Thurber, 1969). It has a total thickness of 120 m which comprises four
distinct Members. The lower member is about 31 m thick and consists of alternating clay, silt and
sand with gravely sand at base. This is separated by a palaeosol horizon from an overlying
predominantly massive silt bed, 22 m thick. The third member, measuring about 46 meters in
thickness, represents two cycles of advance and retreat of Lake Turkana, and is composed
dominantly of thin beds of lacustrine sediments with some fluvial sediments. The upper part of the
Kibbish, as it represents the last stage of the regression is coarser in peripheral regions, becomes
progressively finer and clayey towards the present Lake body.
The age of the Kibbish Formation ranges from Pleistocene to Holocene.
Recent Sediments (Q,Ql,Qr)
An extensive series of alluvial sediments are deposited in the Lake Turkana Rift Valley System.
These are the result of the advance and retreat of Lake Turkana and changes in the course of the
Omo River and its tributaries such as the Muwi, Kibbish and Usno. These undifferentiated alluvial
deposits include buff to brown coloured gravels, sand, silt and clay, as well as river deposits and
coarse fan deposits bordering the highlands. The age of these sediments also ranges from
Pleistocene to Holocene.
An extensive area of Quaternary sediments (Q) occur in the north-west part of the Basin along
the upper reaches of the Gibe and Gojeb Rivers. The area between Jima and Sekoru, along the
Gilgel-Gibe River, is also covered by recent alluvial sediment (Q) and red-brown soils up to 10 m
thick.
Geological Survey
3.4.2 Basaltic flows and tuffs (QHn, Qv1, Qv2)
In the central and southern parts of the Omo-Gibe Basin, there was some very limited basaltic
volcanism during the Quaternary, resulting in the extrusion of:
iii) the Weliso basalts (Qv1, Qv2) YOUNGEST
ii) the Wumba Hayk basalt (Qv1)
i) the Nakwa Formation (QHn) OLDEST
The Nakwa Formation (QHn)
The Nakwa Formation is named after Mt Nakwa (55 km north of Lake Turkana) in the centre of
the Korath Range, which forms a prominent topographic feature rising above the surrounding
plains. It is built up of a north-north-east trending chain of well-preserved pyroclastic cones
flanked by lava flows.
The major rock types here are basanite with subordinate tephrite, both of which contain
plagioclase and augite phenocrysts. In addition, the basanites and tephrites contain olivine and
amphibole phenocrysts, respectively. The basanite is strongly nepheline-normative and the
tephrite contains kaersutite. A late Pleistocene age has been proposed for some of the rocks of
the Korath Range (Brown and Carmichael, 1969).
The Wumba Hayk basalt (Qv1)
In the central part of the Basin, south of Chida at Wumba Hayk in the Gojeb Valley, there is a
cluster of volcanic cinder cones and collapse craters, many perfectly preserved. Some contain
small crater lakes. A brief examination of these volcanoes showed that they are composed of
dark grey, vesicular to scoriaceous basalt, lying on the eroded upper parts of the felsic volcanics
(PNv2). These have been correlated with the basalt flows (Qv1) found in the Baro-Akobo Basin,
and which extend into the western part of the Omo-Gibe Basin, to the west of Daka.
The age of the unit is not known, but a Holocene age has been suggested by Davidson (1983) on
the basis of the relatively unmodified geomorphology of the cones.
The Weliso basalt (Qv1, Qv2)
In the northern part of the Omo-Gibe Basin, around Weliso town and to the north-west, there is a
large area made up of basaltic shield. It is composed of basalt flows that have spread outwards
from the central complexes, where there are numerous cinder cones and collapse craters, many
of them perfectly preserved. The highest parts of the shield complex, the Shenen Mountain
(2970 m) and the Wenchi Caldera (3387 m) lie on the watershed between the Omo-Gibe and the
Abay rivers.
The Wenchi Caldera is built up of poorly consolidated ash and tuffs containing pumice and other
rock fragments (Qv1) and overlying trachytes (Qv2). In some localities, sediment deposits
between the two units has been observed. The Shenen area and the low lying areas north-west
of Weliso are underlain by basalt flows, usually porphyritic with large phenocrysts of pyroxene,
olivine and plagioclase. The basalt is columnar or vesicular, the vesicles filled with zeolite and
chalcedony. It overlies rocks of the Nazareth Group.
The age of these units is uncertain, but it is possibly of Holocene age based on the perfect
preservation of some of the cones.
Geological Survey
4 Conclusions
Prior to this survey, very little was known about the geology of the Omo-Gibe Basin north of
latitude 6°15' N. The mapping of some 51,000 km² in this region can be considered a major
contribution to the knowledge of the geology of southern Ethiopia.
The geology of the mainly Pre-cambrian area, south of latitude 6°15' N, was compiled from the
reports and maps of the Omo River Project at 1:250,000 and 1:500,000 scales (Davidson, 1983).
The geology of the Tertiary volcanic areas north of latitude 6°15' N was compiled from published
regional scale maps and reports, aerial photos, Landsat TM and Landsat MSS imagery and
limited field surveys using vehicles and helicopters.
Approximately 11% of the Omo-Gibe Basin is underlain by Pre-cambrian metamorphic gneisses

consisting of felsic meta-sediments and mafic meta-volcanics that represent an older 'cratonic'
granite-gneiss terrain to the west and a younger 'oceanic' terrain to the east. The younger
oceanic 'greenstones' have been overthrust (obducted) to the west onto the older craton. The
main thrust zone, in the Surma region west of the lower Omo River, is marked by intense
shearing and cataclasis.
Approximately 80% of the Omo-Gibe Basin is underlain by Tertiary volcanic rocks. These have
been sub-divided into four groups, where possible:
i) Early Flood Basalts
ii) Lower Felsic Volcanics and Sediments - comprising basaltic, andesitic and more
felsic lavas. The formation contains a sequence of coal, lignite and oil shale
deposits interbedded with volcanics, which is up to 300 m thick, and is found
scattered in several parts of the central Basin.
iii) Upper Felsic Volcanics - includes thick rhyolites, trachytes and felsic ignimbrites up
to 2000 m thick. Where these volcanics have been partially eroded, the central
intrusive core often remains as a prominent conical hill or plug
iv) Nazareth Group - comprises a series of rhyolite-trachyte plugs, flows, ignimbrites

and other pyroclastics, as well as some lacustrine sediments containing coal and
lignite deposits.
The Omo-Gibe Basin occupies the combined Omo and Usno rift valleys which are 'failed'
northern extensions of the Lake Turkana-Ethiopian Rift System. In the northern part of the Basin,
the rivers have exploited the extensive fault zones to cut deep gorges. The eroded material has
been deposited in the lower part of the Basin as a thick (>3 km) sequence of Quaternary alluvial
deposits.
Geological Survey
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V (ed) Attee Memorie Dell Acadamia Per Tavia Di Scienze Lettre, 1977-78, Parta 11
Geological Survey
Annexes
Annex A Figures
List of figures
Figure 1 Time scale for the Tertiary Era
Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the stratigraphic relationships of the Tertiary and
Quaternary rocks in the Omo-Gibe Basin
Figure 3 Geological cross-section of the Omo-Gibe Basin
Figure 4 The Rift Valley system of Kenya and Ethiopia
Map Portfolio Geology map of the Omo-Gibe Basin, 1:500 000 scale
Geological Survey
Figure 1 Time scale for the Tertiary Era
Geological Survey
Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the stratigraphic relationships of the Tertiary and
Quaternary rocks in the Omo-Gibe Basin
Geological Survey
Figure 3 Geological cross-section of the Omo-Gibe Basin
Geological Survey
Figure 4 The Rift Valley system of Kenya and Ethiopia

Omo-Gibe River Basin Development Master Plan Study / Survey and Analysis Report Vol V, Section II, C1, Page 1

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Geological Survey

1.3 Location and access..........................................................................................................

1.4 Previous geological studies...............................................................................................

1.5 Geological map compilation...............................................................................................

2 Regional geological setting..............................................................................

3.1.1 Mafic (hornblende) gneiss (PChb).......................................................................

3.1.2 Biotite-hornblende gneiss (PCbh)........................................................................

3.1.3 Meta-sedimentary gneiss (PCgb)........................................................................

3.1.4 Quartz-feldspar gneiss (PCqf).............................................................................

3.1.5 Muscovite-biotite granitoid gneiss (PCmb)...........................................................

3.1.6 The younger granites (PCgt, Pg).........................................................................

3.1.7 Pre-cambrian metamorphism and structure.........................................................

3.2 Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks........................................................................................

3.3 Tertiary volcanics...............................................................................................................

3.3.1 The 'Flood Basalts' (Pv).......................................................................................

3.3.2 The ‘Felsic Volcanics’ (PNv): Oligocene to Miocene............................................

3.3.3 Nazareth Group (NMn): Miocene to Pliocene.........................................................

3.3.4 Rhyolite-Trachyte flows and ignimbrites (NQr, NQg, NQs)..................................

3.3.5 Structure of the Tertiary period.............................................................................

3.4 Quaternary volcano-sedimentary succession....................................................................

3.4.1 Fluvial and lacustrine sediments..........................................................................

3.4.2 Basaltic flows and tuffs (QHn, Qv1, Qv2).............................................................

Figure 1 Time scale for the Tertiary Era........................................................................

Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the stratigraphic relationships of the Tertiary

Figure 3 Geological cross-section of the Omo-Gibe Basin............................................

Figure 4 The Rift Valley system of Kenya and Ethiopia................................................

· this was followed by mapping of areas north of 8 oN (2 man-months), as well as

1.3 Location and access

1.4 Previous geological studies

1.5 Geological map compilation

i) Welkite Sheet between 9°30'N and 8°00'N, covering 14,200 km2

2 Regional geological setting

i) An older series of felsic granite-gneisses, intruded by plagioclase granite batholiths

3 Geology of the Omo-Gibe Basin

i) the Pre-cambrian crystalline basement rocks

v) the Post-rift sediments and volcanics, of Pliocene and Quaternary age

3.1 Pre-cambrian basement rocks

i) The Hamer Domain, mainly composed of high grade metamorphic (amphibolite-

ii) The Akobo Domain, composed of low grade metamorphic (greenschist-amphibolite

6) Muscovite granitoid gneiss = Granite intrusions YOUNGEST

5) Quartz-feldspar gneiss = Arenaceous sediments

4) Meta-sedimentary gneiss = Volcano-clastic sediments (chert/BIF/marble)

3) Biotite-hornblende gneiss = Basaltic volcanics

2) Mafic (hornblende) gneiss = Gabbro-diorite

1) Ultra-mafic (pyroxene) gneiss = Peridotite-hartzburgite-dunite OLDEST

3.1.1 Mafic (hornblende) gneiss (PChb)

· Granitoid orthogneiss (PCx2) - These are strongly foliated, relatively homogeneous,

3.1.2 Biotite-hornblende gneiss (PCbh)

3.1.3 Meta-sedimentary gneiss (PCgb)

3.1.4 Quartz-feldspar gneiss (PCqf)

3.1.5 Muscovite-biotite granitoid gneiss (PCmb)

3.1.6 The younger granites (PCgt, Pg)

3.1.7 Pre-cambrian metamorphism and structure

3.2 Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks

3.3 Tertiary volcanics

i) Undifferentiated ‘Flood Basalt’ (Pv), in the central area

ii) Makonnen Basalt (POm) in the north-west area