The interpretation of gravity data in Oman: constraints on the ophiolite emplacement mechanism

Abstract

Abstract The results of the gravity survey which was carried out as part of the Open University Oman Research Project and briefly reported by Lippard et al. are presented in detail to further constrain the emplacement mechanism of the Semail Ophiolite. The principal conclusions of the gravity (and magnetic) study are that (i) the Semail Ophiolite nappe continues for a limited distance under the Batinah coastal plain and appears to have a smoothly tapering ‘trailing edge’; (ii) the lower surface of the nappe is approximately planar; (iii) the ‘leading edge’ of the nappe comprises slices some 20% of the thickness of the block to which they are attached; (iv) beneath the coastal plain, to the east of the Hawasina Window culmination, a completely unexposed ophiolite block exists. These conclusions favour the gravity-driven emplacement of the ophiolite nappe of Oman.