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  • © 2019

Geology of the Oman Mountains, Eastern Arabia

Authors:

  • Provides detailed descriptions of 50 GeoPark sites throughout Oman and the UAE
  • Features unique colour photos and maps of all the main localities including aerial photos, drone photos, and mountaineering-climbing photos
  • Offers straightforward explanations of key geological structures and their evolution, together with suitable figures
  • Includes spectacular photos of unique geological features

Part of the book series: GeoGuide (GEO)

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  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
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Table of contents (17 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiv
  2. Geography, History and Exploration

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
  3. Geology

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 49-49
    2. Ophiolites and Regional Tectonics

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 85-115
    3. Oil and Gas

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 117-126
  4. Regional GeoPark Sites

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 127-127
    2. Musandam Peninsula and Straits of Hormuz

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 129-146
    3. United Arab Emirates (UAE)

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 147-177
    4. Northern Oman Mountains

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 179-204
    5. Ibri–Wadi Hawasina–Rustaq

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 205-233
    6. Jebel al-Akhdar

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 235-277
    7. Muscat–As Sifah

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 279-312
    8. Saih Hatat

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 313-347
    9. Sharkiyah, Eastern Oman Mountains

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 349-378
    10. Central Oman, Wahiba Sands and Al Wusta

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 379-410
    11. Dhofar and the Frankincense Coast

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 411-428
    12. Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter)

      • Mike Searle
      Pages 429-442

About this book

This book describes in detail numerous geological sites throughout the mountains of Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Eastern Arabia. The region is well known for its oil and gas reserves in the desert interior, and Permian-Mesozoic shelf carbonates exposed in the mountains of the Musandam peninsula, Jebel al-Akhdar and Saih Hatat, where deep wadi canyons provide impressive three-dimensional views into the crust. The region has numerous globally important geological sites, including the world’s largest and best-exposed ophiolite complex, the Semail Ophiolite, which is a vast thrust sheet of Cretaceous ocean crust and upper mantle emplaced onto the Arabian continental margin. Other sites include spectacular fossil localities, subduction zone metamorphic rocks (eclogites, blueschists, amphibolites), fold-thrust belts, giant sheath folds and Precambrian salt domes, as well as the huge sand dunes of the Rub al’Khali, the Empty Quarter, and the separate Wahiba (Sharkiyah) sandsea of Eastern Oman.


Written by Mike Searle, who has worked on geological research projects throughout Oman and UAE almost every year since 1978, this book describes the field geology of each site and includes a wealth of maps, field photos and diagrams illustrating key features. It also discusses the history of exploration of Arabia and the search for its hidden geological secrets. The book provides the geological basis for the establishment of a series of World Heritage Sites, National GeoParks and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) throughout the region. As such, it is of interest to geologists, tourists, mountaineers, trekkers, rock climbers and naturalists.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford, UK

    Mike Searle

About the author

Mike Searle is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford. His geological interests include the tectonic evolution of mountain belts, in particular processes associated with subduction, ophiolite formation and obduction, folding and thrusting, regional metamorphism and crustal melting. His work chiefly focuses on the Alpine-Himalayan belt, the Karakoram ranges and Tibetan Plateau region, as well as Southeast Asia (Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Yunnan). One of his research projects is in the Oman Mountains, UAE, where he is engaged in detailed structural mapping and investigations on the P-T-t evolution of sub-ophiolite metamorphic rocks.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Geology of the Oman Mountains, Eastern Arabia

  • Authors: Mike Searle

  • Series Title: GeoGuide

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18453-7

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-18452-0Published: 06 June 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-18453-7Published: 24 May 2019

  • Series ISSN: 2364-6497

  • Series E-ISSN: 2364-6500

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXIV, 478

  • Number of Illustrations: 7 b/w illustrations, 382 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Geology, Popular Earth Science, Geomorphology, Mineralogy

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access