Semail ophiolite, Oman

Palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium in chromite-rich rocks form the Semail ophiolite, Oman. Canadian Mineralogist, 20, 537-548. 

Figure 7.16 Whole-rock profile through the Semail ophiolite, Oman, showing the relative...

Figure 3 Location of the main ophiolitic belts and ophiolite complexes mentioned in the text (after Coleman, 1977 Ishiwatari, 1994 Moores et al., 2000). (1) Circum-Pacific Phanerozoic Multiple Ophiolite Belt (450-0 Ma) KM— Klamath Mountains (Trinity and Josephine, western USA) NC—New Caledonia PNG—Papua-New Guinea IB— Indonesian Back-Arc ophiolites. (2) Himalaya-Alps-Caribbean Mesozoic Belt (150-80 Ma) YZ—ophiolites of the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone, China OM—Oman (=Semail ophiolite). Sultanate of Oman and Unites Arab Emirates TR—Troodos, Cyprus VO—Vourinos and Pindos, Greece WA—Western Alps (Internal Ligurides and Lanzo) CU—Cuba ophiolites. (3) Appalachian-Caledonian Belt (450 Ma) BOI—Bay of Islands, Newfoundland.

Neal, C., and G. SiAN(ji R. 1985. Pa.st and present serpen-tinization of ultramafic rocks An example from the Semail Ophiolite Nappe of northern Oman. In The chemistry of weathering, ed J. I. Drever. NATO ASl ser. C, Mathematical and Physical Sciences 149, pp. 249-75. Boston D. Reidel Publ. Co. 

The Semail (=Oman) ophiolite is probably the largest piece of oceanic lithosphere (2 X 10" km ) exposed at the surface of the Earth. It is considered to represent part of the Neo-Tethys ocean floor obducted onto the Arabian plate at the end of the Cretaceous. It has been the focus of detailed studies by several research groups and is, therefore, one of the best documented ophiolites (e.g., Glennie et al., 1974 Coleman and Hopson, 1981 Lippard et al., 1986 Boudier and Nicolas, 1988 Peters et al., 1991b Boudier and Juteau, 2000). 

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