The evolution of the volcanoes of Aden and Little Aden, South Arabia

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Abstract
Along the south coast of Arabia, between the town of Aden and the southern entrance to the Red Sea, there are six central-vent volcanoes of Miocene-Pliocene age. The degree of erosion is ideal, and the abundance of exposures makes detailed structural and evolutionary studies possible; data are presented for the three easternmost cones, those of Aden, Little Aden and Ras Imran. Each volcano evolved through a complex cone-building stage during which the predominant rock types were trachybasalt, trachyte and peralkaline rhyolite. This was followed by periods of caldera formation during which trachyandesites, trachytes, and peralkaline rhyolites were erupted. A final stage of parasitic activity included small amounts of olivine-tholeiite amongst the eruptive products.