The Oman Exotics: a key to the understanding of the Neotethyan geodynamic evolution     

Alain Pillevuit  Jean Marcoux  Gérard Stampfli  Aymon Baud 《Geodinamica Acta》2013,26(5):209-238

Abstract

The study of the exotic blocks of the Hawasina Nappes (Sultanate of Oman) leads to give apposit data that allow us to propose a new paleogeographic evolution of the Oman margin in time and space. A revised classification of exotic blocks into different paleogeographical units is presented. Two newly introduced stratigraphic groups, the Ramaq Group (Ordovician to Triassic) and the Al Buda’ah Group (upper Permian to Jurassic) are interpreted as tilted blocks related to the Oman continental margin. The Kawr Group (middle Triassic to Cretaceous) is redefined and interpreted as an atoll-type seamount. The paleogeography and paleoenvironments of these units are integrated into a new scheme of the Neotethyan rifting history. Brecciae and olistoliths of the Hawasina series are interpreted to have originated from tectonic movements affecting the Oman margin and the Neotethyan ocean floor. The breccias of late Permian age were generated by the extension processes affecting the margin, and by the creation of the Neotethyan oceanic floor. The breccias of mid-late Triassic age coincide in time with the collision of the Cimmerian continents with Eurasia. In constrast, the breccias of late Jurassic and Cretaceous age are interpreted as resulting to the creation of a new oceanic crust (Semail) off the Oman margin.  相似文献   

Chromitite and peridotite from Rayat, northeastern Iraq, as fragments of a Tethyan ophiolite     

Sabah A.  Ismail  Shoji  Arai  Ahmed H.  Ahmed  Yohei  Shimizu 《Island Arc》2009,18(1):175-183

Ophiolitic rocks (chromitites and serpentinized peridotites) were petrologically examined in detail for the first time from Rayat, in the Iraqi part of the Zagros thrust zone, an ophiolitic belt. Almost all the primary silicates have been altered out, but chromian spinel has survived from alteration and gives information about the primary petrological characteristics. The protolith of the serpentinite was clinopyroxene-free harzburgite with chromian spinel of intermediate Cr# (= Cr/[Cr + Al] atomic ratio) of 0.5 to 0.6. The harzburgite with that signature is the most common in the mantle section of the Tethyan ophiolites such as the Oman ophiolite, and is the most suitable host for chromitite genesis. Except for one sample, which has Cr# = 0.6 for spinel, the Cr# of spinel is high, around 0.7, in chromitite. The variation in Cr# of spinel in chromitite observed here has been also reported in the Oman ophiolite. The peridotite with chromitite pods exposed at Rayat was derived from an ophiolite similar in petrological character to the Oman ophiolite, one of the typical Tethyan ophiolites (fragments of Tethyan oceanic lithosphere). This result is consistent with the previous interpretation based on geological analysis.  相似文献   

The factors controlling the expansive nature of the soils and rocks of northern Oman     

Amer A. Al-Rawas 《Engineering Geology》1999,53(3-4):327-350

The factors controlling the expansive nature of the soils and rocks in Northern Oman were studied. Basic geotechnical data from over 40 sites were collected and using empirical relationships, swelling potentials were identified. A laboratory testing program was carried out using undisturbed samples from these swell pressures up to 3.5 MPa, and swell percent values up to 30 were measured. The clay minerals and cations of these samples were determined and Na-smectite was identified as being the main clay-mineral present. Microfabric studies showed generally dense clay matrices. However, these swelling materials exist as impersistent bands with non-swelling soils and rocks which makes prediction of the ground heave problematic.  相似文献   

Geological and engineering characteristics of expansive soils and rocks in northern Oman   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Amer A. Al-Rawas  Ingeborg Guba  A. McGown 《Engineering Geology》1998,50(3-4):267-281

The geology and former climate of northern Oman favoured the formation of smectite clay minerals in certain materials which are implicated in ground heave problems. Investigations have shown that the smectite content of these expansive materials was developed in Oligocene, Miocene and Pliocene times. No evidence of a significant content of smectite was found in pre Eocene strata or in Quaternary strata, except for Desert Fill. It is shown that the main types of expansive materials in northern Oman are bentonitic mudstones, marls and silty mudstones, argillaceous dolomitic limestone, altered conglomerates and the desert fill derived from these. These swelling materials exist as impersistent bands within the bedrock Tertiary conglomerates and limestones. A geotechnical testing program was carried out on undisturbed samples from Sultan Qaboos University staff housing areas where building damage had occurred, to evaluate mineralogical composition, cation content and swelling characteristics. The test results characterized these soils/rocks as highly expansive type with Na-smectite as the dominant clay mineral.  相似文献   

Exploration of an alluvial aquifer in Oman by time-domain electromagnetic sounding   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

M. E. Young  R. G. M. de Bruijn  A. Salim Al-Ismaily 《Hydrogeology Journal》1998,6(3):383-393

 One-third of the population of Oman depends upon groundwater extracted from the alluvium of the Batinah Plain, on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. Deep geophysical exploration techniques were used to determine the depth and nature of the alluvium and the boundaries of the aquifer. The base and structural controls of the alluvial basin at its contact with Tertiary marine sediments and Cretaceous ophiolite were mapped with seismic reflection data, recorded originally for oil exploration. The base of the alluvium dips northward from the foothills of the Northern Oman Mountains, reaching a maximum depth of 2000 m at the coast. The varying facies of the alluvium are grossly characterised by different, overlapping ranges of electrical resistivity, depending largely on the clay content and degree of cementation. Resistivities near the coast are reduced by saline intrusion. These variations of resistivity were mapped with time-domain electromagnetic sounding along 400 km of profile, to distinguish among the three zones of the alluvial aquifer. The wedge of saline intrusion was also delineated, up to 10 km from the coast. The thickness of the saturated gravel aquifer ranges from 20–160 m in an area greater than 600 km². Received, April 1997 · Revised, January 1998 · Accepted, April 1998  相似文献   

A conceptual hydrogeological model of ophiolite hard-rock aquifers in Oman based on a multiscale and a multidisciplinary approach   总被引：2，自引：1，他引：1  

Benoît Dewandel  Patrick Lachassagne  Françoise Boudier  Saïd Al-Hattali  Bernard Ladouche  Jean-Louis Pinault  Zaher Al-Suleimani 《Hydrogeology Journal》2005,13(5-6):708-726

Ophiolites are found all over the world: from the Alps to the Himalayas, in Cuba, Papua-New Guinea, New Caledonia, Newfoundland, etc. They are composed of hard rocks—basalt, dolerite, gabbro and peridotite, which are formed at the mid-oceanic ridges, with specific ridge-related tectonic fracturing and intense hydrothermal alteration. Their geological and thus their hydrogeological properties differ from those of both granite or classical gabbro and classical basaltic lava. A conceptual hydrogeological model of these hard-rock aquifers was developed based on the convergent results of a multidisciplinary approach at several spatial scales, from rock-sample (centimetre) to catchment (kilometre), on well-preserved ophiolite rocks in Oman. In ophiolite rocks, groundwater circulation takes place mostly in the fissured near-surface horizon (50 m thick), and, to a lesser degree, in the tectonic fractures. Hydrograph analysis (Water Resour Res 34:233–240, 1977), interpretation of numerous pumping tests using both classical Theis and dual porosity models [Water Resour Res 32:2733–2745, 1996; Comput Geosci J (in press)], and mercury porosity and hydraulic conductivity lab-measurements support the aquifer parameter estimates. The hydraulic conductivity K of the fissured horizon is estimated at 10^–5 to 10^–6 m/s for gabbro and dolerite, and 10^–7 m/s for peridotite. The storage coefficient S of the peridotite aquifer is estimated at 10^–3 and appears to be controlled mainly by microcracks (20 to 100 m wide). Tectonic fractures in the ophiolite have similar hydrodynamic properties regardless of lithology (10^–1<T<10^–4 m²/s and 10^–1<S<10^–3) though the probability of obtaining productive wells is two to three times greater in gabbro and dolerite than in peridotite. Some of the tectonic fractures produce small hydrothermal, hyperalkaline springs in the peridotite. The water budget and hydrochemistry of the Oman ophiolite are characterized and support the conceptual hydrogeological model. Despite low annual rainfall, a relatively low hydraulic conductivity and a significant storage coefficient explain why most of the streams in peridotite are perennial.

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Résumé Les ophiolites se trouvent partout dans le monde : des Alpes à lHymalaya, à Cuba, Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée, Nouvelle Calédonie, etc. Les ophiolites sont composées de roches dures basaltiques, de dolérites, gabbros et péridotites, qui sont formées aux rides mi-océaniques, avec, en relation avec les rides, une fracturation tectonique et une altération hydrothermale intense. Leurs propriétés géologiques et hydrogéologiques diffèrent de celles des granites ou des gabbros classiques ou des laves basaltiques classiques. Un modèle hydrogéologique conceptuel des aquifères de hard-rock a été développé sur les résultats convergents dune approche multidisciplinaire à différentes échelles spatiales, de léchantillon de roche de quelques centimètres à la taille du bassin versant en kilomètres, des ophiolites bien conservées dOman. Dans les roches ophiolitiques, la circulation des eaux souterraines est surtout localisée dans les fissures dun horizon de surface de plus dune cinquantaine de mètres et à un degré moindre dans les fractures tectoniques. Lanalyse des hydrographes (Water Resour Res 34:233–240, 1977), linterprétation des nombreux essais de pompage utilisant des modèles classiques de Theis et des modèles à double porosité (Water Resour Res 32:2733–2745, 1996; Comput Geosci J (Soumis), la porosité au mercure et la conductivité hydraulique calculée en laboratoire supportent lestimation des paramètres de laquifère. La conductivité hydraulique K de lhorizon fissuré est estimée entre 10^–5 et 10^–6 m/s pour les gabbros et les dolérites, et 10^–7 m/s pour les péridotites. Le coefficient demmagasinement S de laquifère de péridotite est estimé à 10^–3 et semble être contrôlé par les micro-fractures (20 à 100 m de largeur). Les fractures tectoniques dans les ophiolites possèdent des propriétés hydrodynamiques en regard de la lithologie (10-1<T<10-4 m²/s et 10-1/S/10-3) bien que la probabilité dobtenir des puits productifs est trois plus grand dans le grabbro et la dolérite que la péridétite. Quelques unes des fractures tectoniques produisent de petites sources hydrothermales hyperalcalines dans la péridotite. Le bilan hydrologique et hydrochimique de lophiolite dOman caractérise le modèle hydrogéologique conceptuel. Malgré des faibles précipitations annuelles, une relativement basse conductivité hydraulique et un coefficient demmagasinement significatif expliquent pourquoi la plus part des cours deau sur les péridotites ne sont jamais taris.

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Resumen Las rocas ofiolitas se encuentran en muchas partes del mundo desde los Alpes a los Himilaya, Newfoundland, Nueva Caledonia etc. Son rocas duras compuestas de basalto, dolerita, gabro y peridotita que son formadas por los cordones medio-oceánicos y por fracturación relacionada con los cordones tectónicos específicos y alteración hidrotermal intensa. La geología y los propiedades hidrogeológicas varian entre las de granito y gabro clásico y lava de basalto clásico. Se desarrolló un modelo conceptual de los acuíferos de las rocas duras Basado en los resultados convergentes de un enfoce multidisciplinario a varias escalas a partir de muestras de roca (centímetro) a cuenca kilómetro) enfocado en las rocas ofilíticas bien preservados en Oman. En las rocas ofiolíticas la circulación de agua ocurre principalmente en el horizonte de fisuras cercanas a la superficie (>50 m de espesor) y en un grado menos importante en fracturas tectónicas. Los estimados de los parámetros de estos acuíferos se basan en análisis de hidrógrafos (Water Resour Res 34:233–240, 1977), en la interpretación de pruebas de bombeo usando los modelos clásicos de Theis y de porosidad doble (Hamm y Bidaux 1996; Lods y Gouze, [en prensa]), y porosidad de mecurio y conductividad hidraúlica medida en el laboratorio. La conductividad hidraúlica K del horizonte fisurado se estima en 10E-5 a 10E-6 m-s para gabro y dolerita y 10E-7 para peridotita. El coeficiente de abastecimiento S del acuífero peridotita se estima en 10–3 y parece ser controlado principalmente por microfracturas (20 to 100 m de ancho). Las fracturas tectónicas en la ofiolita tienen propiedades hidrodinámicas similares independientes de la litología (10–1<T<10–4 m²/s and 10–1<S<10–3) pero la probabilidad de obtener pozos productivos es dos o tres veces mayor en gabro que en dolerita o peridotita. Algunas de las fracturas tectónicas producen pequeñas descargas de agua hidrotermal hiperalcalina en la peridotita. El presupuesto e hidroquímica de las ofilitas de Omán se caracteriza y apoya en el modelo conceptual hidrogeológico. La baja lluvia anual, una conductividad hidraúlica relativamente baja y un coeficiente de abastecimiento importante explican porqué la mejoría de los drenajes en peridotita es peremne.

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Seabed characterization through a range of high-resolution acoustic systems – a case study offshore Oman     

Magdalena Szuman  Christian Berndt  Colin Jacobs  Angus Best 《Marine Geophysical Researches》2006,27(3):167-180

This study uses three acoustic instruments (different in their operating frequencies, 13, 3.5, and 6–10 kHz, and deployment type, hull-mounted, surface-towed and deep-towed) to investigate and characterize the acoustic response of seafloor NE of Oman in a frequency-independent manner. High-resolution control was achieved by having selected areas of our acoustic transects ground-truthed by sampling and/or sea-floor photography. On the regional scale, the greatest degree of change in backscatter amplitude was correlated with major changes of seabed morphology and lithology. However, small-scale roughness had the biggest effect on amplitude on the local scale, i.e. within each area of specific seafloor type. The study also shows that seafloor reflection amplitude changes are far more easily detected by deep-towed instrument than by surface-towed or hull-mounted systems. Whilst there are significant changes in bioturbation types and density along the transects, the suite of instruments deployed was not able to pick up the effect of the bioturbation on acoustic signals.  相似文献   

Dike distribution in the Oman-United Arab Emirates ophiolite     

Nicolas  A.  Ildefonse  B.  Boudier  F.  Lenoir  X.  Ben Ismail  W. 《Marine Geophysical Researches》2000,21(3-4):269-287

Mafic dikes and dunite veins are observed in the mantle section of the Oman – United Arab Emirates (O-UAE) ophiolites, as well as diabase dikes and hydrothermal veins in the crust section. They have been systematically measured during the mapping of this ophiolite and are represented by their trajectories in the folded map 3 in the back of this volume, and by local stereoplots included in this study. Mafic dikes in the mantle section correspond to basaltic melt being injected at decreasing temperatures from above or at peridotite solidus, down to below 450°C. Hydrothermal veins associated with dioritic dikes issued from hydrous melting of host gabbros are observed down to the base of the crust, bearing evidence for sea water penetration into basal gabbros at or above 900°C, that is very close to the ridge axis. Dike orientations record the stress field at the time of their injection. In most places, all types of dikes are dominantly parallel to the general trend of the nearest sheeted dike complex; thus the stress field has not visibly changed from melt injection in the asthenosphere below the ridge of origin to injection in a lithosphere up to a few Myr old, at distances beyond 100 km from the axis. Local preferred orientations, when they are considered in the frame of the paleo-ridge system of O-UAE, result in a coherent model throughout the belt: the sheeted dike complex dips moderately away from the presumed ridge axis and the mantle dikes, toward this axis. These opposite directions are explained by the presumed effect of subsidence toward the axis for the sheeted dikes and by the central feeding from an asthenospheric uprise for the mantle dikes.  相似文献   

The Wuqbah peridotite, central Oman Ophiolite: Petrological characteristics of the mantle in a fossil overlapping ridge setting   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Jacques Girardeau  Christophe Monnier  Laurent Lemée  Frédéric Quatrevaux 《Marine Geophysical Researches》2002,23(1):43-56

The Wuqbah peridotites (Wuqbah massif, central Oman Ophiolite) constitute the mantle part of a complete ophiolitic sequence and their field deformation geometry is thought to reflect mantle dynamics in a fossil overlapping ridge settings (Girardeau et al., 2002). These peridotites comprise dominantly residual harzburgites and dunites. Nearly 70% of the harzburgites are clinopyroxene-free, and the rest contains less than 1%. The mineral chemistry of olivine, pyroxenes and spinel, and whole rock major and rare-earth element data, indicate that the Wuqbah peridotites are all strongly refractory and that they record a major percolation event, marked by strong enrichments in incompatible elements. At the massif scale, the Central Zone contains rocks with the most refractory features (20% melt extraction), as expected in an area of mantle upwelling. In the overlapping ridge senario, it corresponds to the overlap zone whose formation is discussed.  相似文献   

Tracking the paleogene India-Arabia plate boundary     

《Marine and Petroleum Geology》2016

The location of the India-Arabia plate boundary prior to the formation of the Sheba ridge in the Gulf of Aden is a matter of debate. A seismic dataset crossing the Owen Fracture Zone, the Owen Basin, and the Oman Margin was acquired to track the past locations of the India-Arabia plate boundary. We highlight the composite age of the Owen Basin basement, made of Paleocene oceanic crust drilled on its eastern part, and composed of pre-Maastrichtian continental and oceanic crust overlaid by ophiolites emplaced in Early Paleocene on its western side. A major fossil transform fault system crossing the Owen Basin juxtaposed these two slivers of lithosphere of different ages, and controlled the uplift of marginal ridges along the Oman Margin. This transform system deactivated ∼40 Myrs ago, coeval with the onset of ultra-slow spreading at the Carlsberg Ridge. The transform boundary then jumped to the edge of the present-day Owen Ridge during the Late Eocene-Oligocene period, before seafloor spreading began at the Sheba Ridge. This migration of the plate boundary involved the transfer of a part of the Indian oceanic lithosphere formed at the Carlsberg Ridge to Arabia. This Late Eocene-Oligocene tectonic episode at the India-Arabia plate boundary is synchronous with a global plate reorganization event corresponding to geological events at the Zagros and Himalaya belts. The Owen Ridge uplifted later, in Late Miocene times, and is unrelated to any major migration of the India-Arabia boundary.  相似文献