Global InformationSamail Ophiolite information
The Samail Ophiolite, also known as the Semail Ophiolite, is a large, ancient geological formation in Oman and the United Arab Emirates in the Arabian Peninsula.[2] It is one of the world's largest and best-exposed segments of oceanic crust, made of volcanic rocks and ultramafic rocks from the Earth's upper mantle that was overthrust onto the continental crust.[3] This ophiolite provides insight into the dynamics of oceanic crust formation and the tectonic processes involved in the creation of ocean basins.[3]
Formed during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 95 million years ago,[4] the Samail Ophiolite represents a fragment of the Tethyan Oceanic crust that was thrust over continental crust due to the convergence of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. This geological phenomenon, known as obduction, makes it a site for studying the processes of oceanic crust formation, subduction, and obduction.
It covers an area of around 100,000 square kilometers,[3] and is a complete and well-preserved stratigraphic section. This includes layers from the Earth's upper mantle, along with cumulate rocks, gabbros, sheeted dike complexes, and volcanic sequences, providing a vertical profile of oceanic lithosphere. It is primarily made of silicate rocks with (SiO2) content ranging from 45–77 wt%.[5]
- ^ Deep Carbon Observatory (2019). Deep Carbon Observatory: A Decade of Discovery. Washington, DC. doi:10.17863/CAM.44064. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Ágoston Sasvári; Tamás Pocsai; László Csontos; Gizella B. Árgyelán (2008). "Significance of the evaporite occurrences in the Hawasina Window, Oman Mountains" (PDF). MOL Scientific Magazine: 87–92.
- ^ a b c Jan Schreurs; John Millson. "Ophiolites a natural wonder" (PDF). Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ Wilson, H. Hugh (July 2000). "The Age Of The Hawasina And Other Problems Of Oman Mountain Geology". Journal of Petroleum Geology. 23 (3): 345–362. Bibcode:2000JPetG..23..345W. doi:10.1111/j.1747-5457.2000.tb01023.x. S2CID 128840838.
- ^ Rodney V. Metcalf; John W. Shervais (2008). "Suprasubduction-zone ophiolites: Is there really an ophiolite conundrum?" (PDF). In Wright, J.E.; Shervais, J.W. (eds.). Ophiolites, Arcs, and Batholiths: A Tribute to Cliff Hopson. Geological Society of America, Special Paper. Vol. 438. Geological Society of America. pp. 191–222. doi:10.1130/2008.2438(07). ISBN 978-0-8137-2438-6.