The Arabian Shield region extends along the Red Sea coast and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from Jordan in the north to the Saudi-Yemeni border in the south. It spans the provinces of Tabuk, al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Bahah, Aseer, and Jazan. The Arabian Shield covers an area of 630,000 km, representing 32 percent of the Kingdom's land area. Its width ranges from fifty to one hundred km in the north, expands in the center to reach a maximum width of about seven hundred km, and narrows as it extends southward, ranging between two hundred and 250 km
The rocks of the Arabian Shield are among the oldest in the Arabian Peninsula, consisting of metamorphic and igneous rocks formed during ancient eras dating back between 450 and one thousand million years. Evidence also suggests the presence of rocks in the region that are as old as 1,600 million years.
The Arabian Shield holds significant importance in the Kingdom, as it contains most of the country’s metallic minerals, such as silver, gold, zinc, copper, and others. The region has undergone changes and transformations since its formation, altering many of its characteristics.
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