Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

Setup during HiTech AlkCarb: an online database of alkaline rock and carbonatite occurrences

Central Island, Lake Turkana

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Occurrence number: 
085-00-003
Country: 
Kenya
Location: 
Longitude: 36.07, Latitude: 3.48
Carbonatite: 
No

Central Island in Lake Turkana is approximately circular, rises to 170 m and covers 9 km2, but the bathymetry indicates that the edifice widens to a diameter of about 5 km at a depth of 45 m beneath the lake surface (Dunkley et al., 1993). The island is dominated by two large craters with crater lakes, the rest of the island comprising coalescing tuff cones and rings. It is built of stratified and palagonitised lapilli tuffs, ashes and breccias with minor lava flows and includes basanite, basalt, benmoreite and phono-tephrite (Dunkley et al., 1993). Bloomer et al. (1989) report the presence of olivine basalt, mugearite and trachyte flows and give analyses of seven rocks, including a range of trace elements. There is widespread geothermal activity on the island consisting of vigorous fumaroles and solfataras with sulphur chimneys common (Dunkley et al., 1993).

References: 

BLOOMER, S.H., CURTIS, P.C. and KARSON, J.A. 1989. Geochemical variation of Quaternary basaltic volcanics in the Turkana Rift, northern Kenya. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 8: 511-32.DUNKLEY, P.N., SMITH, M., ALLEN, D.J. and DARLING, W.G. 1993. The geothermal activity and geology of the northern sector of the Kenya rift valley. British Geological Survey, Research Report. International Series SC/93/1: 1-185.

Location: 
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith