THE SOHAR BASIN, WESTERN GULF OF OMAN - DESCRIPTION AND MECHANISMS OFFORMATION FROM SEISMIC AND GRAVITY-DATA

Analysis of seismic lines coupled with gravity interpretation in the w estern Gulf of Oman, shows that the rootless Cretaceous ophiolite napp es are bounded to the north by the deep arcuate Sohar Basin. Two phase s of sedimentary infill are clearly identified; from late Campanian to Miocene and from Miocene to Quaternary. The Sohar Basin is separated from the oceanic domain by a continental axis interpreted as the NW se award prolongation of the Saih-Hatat metamorphic unit. We assume that creation of the Sohar Basin resulted from a late-obduction uplift of t he Saih-Hatat axis followed by the re-working of the basal thrust duri ng a later Neogene compressive event. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. A ll rights reserved.