The deep structure of the east Oman continental margin: preliminary results and interpretation

Abstract

We describe preliminary results of a coincident normal incidence and wide-angle Seismic experiment across the east Oman continental margin just north of the Masirah Island ophiolite. This margin is affected by tectonic deformation and may be the site of margin-parallel shear in a zone parallel to the Owen Fracture Zone. The reflection profile is used to define upper crustal structure and shows a deep offshore basin dammed oceanwards by a ridge, interpreted here as a rotated fault block. Wide-angle data were collected using ten digital ocean-bottom Seismometers and 110 explosive shots. Preliminary raytracing of a crustal model based on the gravity model of Whitmarsh (1979) shows rapid changes in crustal thickness across the margin. A steep landward dipping reflector, probably the Moho, lies beneath the continental slope. The orientation of this reflector is exactly opposite to the direction of tectonic fabric predicted by a simple overthrust model of ophiolite emplacement from the ocean basin to the east.