Page 315 - Carbonate Platforms Facies, Sequences, and Evolution

the
292
iceous
tectonic
platform
/
Mountains
Shield
Cretaceous
Arabian
as
a
Sediment
Faults
Siliciclastic
sediments
palaeoceanography.
orogeny
processes,
Mayhah
of
series
of
the
(Fig.
E;23 Arabian Platform
Aruma foreland basin
1;
sea-level
nappes
Formation
;If Transform
superjacent
Glennie
(Fm)
during
et
Margins
Convergent
Faults
and
K.F.
the
al.,
formed over the
fluctuations
Upper
the
Glennie, 1974; Searle et aL, 1983). With the develop­
northeastern margin of the Arabian carbonate plat­
Cre­
sil­
Oman continental margin to Jurassic rifting and Cre­
part of the Arabian carbonate platform. An under­
ment of the Oman Mountains fold and thrust belt,
were tectonically thrust over the Arabian carbonate
which formed along this passive continental margin
late Cretaceous (Glennie et al., 1973; Glennie, 1974;
1973;
A passive continental margin developed along the
Oman
and
the relationships between carbonate sedimentation,
platform and slope provides valuable insights into
Searle et al. , 1983; Watts & Garrison, 1986). Rocks
taceous convergent tectonics. Much of the sediment
outer
in the slope sequence was derived from the coeval
of these platform-derived slope sediments provide
Arabian carbonate platform and shelf edge. Studies
form in Permian and Triassic times and existed in
taceous Qumayrah Formation record the response
standing of the evolution of the Arabian carbonate
Carbonate slope deposits of the Jurassic to Lower
of the Arabian carbonate platform margin slope and
this area until the Oman Mountains orogeny in the
is
led
the
the
The
Watts and C. D.
0
et al. ,
to
coarse
basinal
INTRODUCTION
7, 15, 18,
drowning
slope
Formation
the
L.....l........
Blome
tectonic
250
otherwise
of Qumayrah
of
carbonate
km
and
19 & 20.
calciclastic
(Fig.
sequence
slope
hidden
deposition
1)
at
margin and Tethys Sea.
Glennie
of
was
described later in text and
Wadi
beneath
sediments.
(1974)
is
palaeoceanographic
particularly
at UTM 47.4N
Qumayrah Formation and included in
sequences formed in response
megabreccias
Major
Qumayrah
to
structurally
showing the major tectonic
is
and
shown in Figs 2,
17.5E.
elements in the Oman region.
renamed
evolution
sensitive
3,
1984). During these drowning events, wide­
docu­
thrust sheets across most of the Oman Mountains.
to
supply to periplatform carbonate sediment (Glennie,
information on the Arabian platform margin which
to global sea-level highstands (Murris, 1980; Harris
higher
of the outer Arabian carbonate platform in addition
the Arabian carbonate platform, Oman continental
other
tectonically-induced steepening of the slope which
the
reduced
platform
events are related to tectonic subsidence
Group along with the Muti Fm and Fiqa Fm. The
spread intervals of radiolarian chert in the slope and
1974; Watts & Garrison, 1986). Here, the nature of
mented, and its significance interpreted in terms of
In this paper, the Qumayrah Facies of the Muti
6,
the Aruma
It is
type locality (M-4) is located just north of the village
of
Fig. 1. Map of the Arabian platform ·