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Forced folding of the neoautochthonous Late Cretaceous–Early Tertiary sequence at the western end of the Hatta Zone, Northern Oman Mountains

الطي المجبر للتتابع الصخري الثابت (hthonousneoautoc) الجديد الممتد من الطباشيري المتأخر إلى الثلاثي المبكر عند النهاية الغربية لنطاق حتا في جبال عمان الشمالية.

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Abstract

At the western end of the Hatta Zone (the Jebel Rawdha area), Northern Oman Mountains, the neoautochthonous Late Cretaceous–Early Tertiary sequence (“cover”) lies with an angular unconformity on the obducted Semail ophiolite, Haybi Complex and Sumeini Group (“basement”). Structural analysis of the faults in both the basement and cover sequences has shown that they are similar in type and configuration to those that develop in a transpressional left-lateral strike-slip deformational regime (a restraining bend) that is characterised by the dominance of the dip-slip component over the strike-slip component. The WNW–ESE (Po) faults together with the linking NW–SE (P) faults have divided the basement into elongated blocks. These blocks, in turn, are subdivided by transverse normal faults into horst and graben sub-blocks. The cover sequence is gently folded into a generally WNW–ESE-trending ‘Main’ folds and NE–SW-trending ‘Cross’ folds superimposed on them. These folds appear to be dominantly forced folds that developed as a result of repeated uplift and depression of basement blocks. Their trends correspond to the trends of the subjacent basement blocks. Hence, the Jebel Rawdha folds trend differently from other post-obduction major folds in the foreland region of the Northern Oman Mountains, such as the Hafit and Jebel Faiyah folds. Differences in stratigraphic thicknesses and lateral facies changes of the cover sequence within the blocks and sub-blocks indicate that the earliest differential movement of the blocks must have occurred during the early Maastrichtian, and the latest movement in post-mid-Eocene. Thus, pushing back the initiation of the post-obduction deformation in the Northern Oman Mountains to the early Maastrichtian.

ملخص:

في منطقة جبل الروضة عند النهاية الغربية لنطاق حتا في جبال عمان الشمالية، يقع التتابع الصخري الثابت الجديد (neoautochthonous) الممتد من الطباشيري المتأخر إلى الثلاثي المبكر (الغطاء) فوق أوفيولايت السمائل العكسية الإندساس (obducted) ومعقد حيبي ومجموعة السميني (القاعدة) مع وجود عدم توافق زاوي بين القاعدة والغطاء. أظهر التحليل التركيبي للصدوع الموجودة في تتابعات صخور القاعدة والغطاء، أنها مشابهة في النوع والترتيب لتلك الصدوع التي تنشأ في نظام تشوهي مضربي الإنزلاق يساري ضاغط (إنحناء كابح) الذي يتميز بهيمنة مركبة الإنزلاق الميلي على مركبة الإنزلاق المضربي. لقد قسمت صدوع ذات إتجاه غرب شمال غرب – شرق جنوب شرق، بالإشتراك مع الصدوع الرابطة ذات إتجاه شمال غرب – جنوب شرق، القاعدة إلى كتل صخرية متطاولة. وهذه الكتل الصخرية قد قُسمت بدورها بواسطة الصدوع العادية المستعرضة إلى كتل صخرية بارزة وأخدودية أصغر. تطوى تتابع الغطاء بصورة خفيفة إلى طيات رئيسية متجهة بصورة عامة بإتجاه غرب شمال غرب – شرق جنوب شرق وطيات معترضة متجهة بإتجاه شمال شرق – جنوب غرب منطبعة على الطيات الرئيسية. تدل هذه الطيات على أنها بغالبيتها طيات مجبرة، نشأت نتيجة الإرتفاع والإنخفاض المتكررين لكتل القاعدة الصخرية. تطابق إتجاهات هذه الطيات إتجاهات كتل القاعدة الواقعة تحتها، ولهذا السبب تتجه طيات جبل الروضة بصورة مختلفة عن إتجاهات الطيات الكبرى من عمر ما بعد الإندساس العكسي (post­obduction) في المنطقة الأمامية لجبال عمان الشمالية مثل طيات حفيت وجبل الفاية. تدل الإختلافات في السماكات الستراتجرافية والتغيرات الجانبية للسحنات في صخور تتابع الغطاء داخل الكتل الكبرى والصغرى، أن أقدم الحركات التفاضلية للكتل الصخرية يجب أن يكون قد حدث أثناء الماستريختي المبكر، وأن أحدث الحركات كانت في ما بعد منتصف الإيوسين. على هذا النحو يكون تاريخ بداية تشوه ما بعد الإندساس العكسي (deformation post­obduction) في جبال عمان الشمالية قد تراجع إلى الماستريختي المبكر.

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Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Dr. N. H. Woodcock for reviewing an early version of the manuscript and Dr. F. Roure for his comments and suggestion to improve Fig. 1. Help with the research facilities provided by the UAE University is also acknowledged.

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    Mohammed Warrak

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Warrak, M. Forced folding of the neoautochthonous Late Cretaceous–Early Tertiary sequence at the western end of the Hatta Zone, Northern Oman Mountains. Arab J Geosci 3, 369–393 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-010-0174-6

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