PETROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CLASTS IN THE DIBDIBAH GRAVEL OF KUWAIT AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO PROVENANCE

The Pleistocene Dibdibah gravels of northern Kuwait contain three petr ographically distinct groups of clasts. These are: a) volcanics; b) gr anitic and c) sediments and metamorphics. The volcanics, which are mos t abundant, consist of porphyritic rhyolites, soda-rhyolites, andesite s and dacites. The granitic and related rocks forming the second abund ant rock group consist of granites, microgranites, pegmatites, aplites , granophyres and quartz rocks (vein quartz). The sediments and metamo rphics are least abundant and consist of quartzites, amphibolites, lim estones, sandstones and cherts. On the bases of their petrography, the volcanic and plutonic clasts in the Dibdibah gravels are believed to have been derived from the same source in the northeastern part of the Arabian Shield.