Evolution of the Northeastern Arabian Plate Margin and Shelf: Hydrocarbon Habitat and Conceptual Future Potential

1993 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. R. Beydoun
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Weidle ◽  
Lars Wiesenberg ◽  
Amr El-Sharkawy ◽  
Thomas Meier ◽  
Frank Krüger ◽  
...  

<p>The Oman ophiolite is one of the best preserved and studied ophiolites, where oceanic lithosphere was obducted on top of a continent. It covers an area of about 700 x 140 km² but its 3D geometry, as well as the properties of the underlying continental lithosphere are largely unknown. We operated a temporary broadband seismic network with 40 instruments for continuous, passive seismic registration for 27 months, complemented by 18 permanent stations in the study region. Ambient noise cross-correlation functions are calculated for vertical and transverse components for all station pairs. We derive azimuthally anisotropic phase velocity maps for Rayleigh- and Love waves in the period range 2 – 40s which show velocity anomalies that are very consistent with geological features at the shortest periods (<10s). At longer periods (>15s) the velocity pattern subdivides the study region into a faster eastern and slower northwestern part below the Oman Mountains. </p><p>We then invert local dispersion curves to shear wave velocity profiles using a novel implementation of a radially anisotropic, probabilistic inversion. Combination of the obtained 1D models to a 3D model provides the first three-dimensional view of shear wave velocity variations along the Eastern Arabian Plate margin. The model highlights at shallow levels strong lateral velocity contrasts between unconsolidated young sediments south of the Oman Mountains (slow) and areas covered by ophiolite and where autochtonous shelf sediments are exposed (fast).</p><p>At middle to lower crustal levels, we image linearly northeast trending velocity contrasts that we attribute to assembly of the Arabian plate in late Proterozoic. These features are overprinted by obduction-related convergence in late Cretaceous with thickening of the middle to lower crust below the Oman mountains. Moho depth is around 40-45km northwest of Semail Gap but shallows significantly east of it to 20km at the eastern coast. This is largely in consistency with independent estimates from Receiver Functions calculated with the same data.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-36
Author(s):  
Robert J. Stern ◽  
Hadi Shafaii Moghadam ◽  
Mortaza Pirouz ◽  
Walter Mooney

Iran is a remarkable geoscientific laboratory where the full range of processes that form and modify the continental crust can be studied. Iran's crustal nucleus formed as a magmatic arc above an S-dipping subduction zone on the northern margin of Gondwana 600–500 Ma. This nucleus rifted and drifted north to be accreted to SW Eurasia ∼250 Ma. A new, N-dipping subduction zone formed ∼100 Ma along ∼3,000 km of the SW Eurasian margin, including Iran's southern flank; this is when most of Iran's many ophiolites formed. Iran evolved as an extensional continental arc in Paleogene time (66–23 Ma) and began colliding with Arabia ∼25 Ma. Today, Iran is an example of a convergent plate margin in the early stages of continent-continent collision, with a waning magmatic arc behind (north of) a large and growing accretionary prism, the Zagros Fold-and-Thrust Belt. Iran's crustal evolution resulted in both significant economic resources and earthquake hazards. ▪  Iran is a natural laboratory for studying how convergent plate margins form, evolve, and behave during the early stages of continental collision. ▪  Iran formed in the past 600 million years, originating on the northern flank of Gondwana, rifting away, and accreting to SW Eurasia. ▪  Iran is actively deforming as a result of collision with the Arabian plate, but earthquakes do not outline the position of the subducting slab. ▪  The Cenozoic evolution of Iran preserves the main elements of a convergent plate margin, including foredeep (trench), accretionary prism, and magmatic arc.


Palaios ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 491-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. KORNGREEN ◽  
O. ORLOV-LABKOVSKY ◽  
O. BIALIK ◽  
C. BENJAMINI

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Jose Franco ◽  
Maria Agustina Celentano ◽  
Desdemona Magdalena Popa ◽  
Ahmed Taher ◽  
Mohamed Al-Shehhi

2010 ◽  
Vol 330 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Piryaei ◽  
John J. G. Reijmer ◽  
Frans S. P. van Buchem ◽  
Mohsen Yazdi-Moghadam ◽  
Jalil Sadouni ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document