Oman 2015

In February 2015, we organized a field trip to the fantastic ophiolite of Oman, within the context of the SINK project. Main aim was to reconstruct the paleospreading direction history for our reconstructions of suduction and spreading within the Neotethys ocean. To that end, we collected paleomagnetic samples from sheeted dykes sections. In addition, we studied and sampled metamorphic sole rocks, as well as radiolarian cherts from the Hawasina nappes below the ophiolite. Below, you find a picture impression of this fantastic fieldtrip, it won't be my last to Oman I think...

The field crew:

Marco Maffione, post-doc at Utrecht University, the Netherlands

Carl Guilmette, Assistant Professor at Laval University, Quebec, Canada

Louise Koornneef, MSc student at Utrecht University, the Netherlands

Benoit Charette, MSc student at Waterloo University, Canada

...and me

The landscape in Oman is fantastic, bonedry. The wadis are quite accessible to trucks, and driving them is great :)

Driving is cheap anyway, at 25 eurocent per liter gasoline...

The ophiolite of Oman is continuously exposed over hundreds of kilometers and provides fantastic rocks, like this gabbroic pegmatite

Most days, we split up in two teams, with Carl hunting for metamorphic sole rocks, and Marco for sheeted dykes, and me joining them in turns. One day we were all together, here climbing up to the top of the sole where we took samples to test some ideas.

Me, drilling with Marco guarding the water pump

Carl, falling in love with a garnet amphibolite

Benoit, giving his best to break amphibolites

Louise and Marco inspecting dykes in a gravel desert

Louise, Benoit and Carl checking out low-grade metamorphics below the ophiolite

Marco, being happy with a neatly recoverd drill core

Marco, drilling somewhat tilted sheeted dykes

Me, doing the same

...and some more

Louise, measuring dyke orientations

Marco, collecting samples

Carl and Marco, discussing and mimicking detachments :)

The oracle of Carl. Climb up some a pile of amphibolites and have your future predicted.

Marco and me, taking samples in the late afternoon. Very pleasant :)

Louise's lunch :)

As good a lunch spot as any...

Carl, Louise and Benoit on a thrust plane emplacing mantle rocks on gabbros. Not what we were looking for, but nice nevertheless

Benoit, taking oriented hand samples from folded radiolarian cherts of the Hawasina nappes. They're too hard to drill in the field, we'll do that at home.