Abstract
The ophiolitic rocks of the NE part of the Oman Mountains in the UAE comprise well-preserved mantle and crustal sequences of Cretaceous age. This obducted oceanic unit is known as the Semail Ophiolite. It consists dominantly of mantle peridotite and crustal gabbros. The mafic rocks consist mainly layered and non-layered gabbros comprising olivine gabbro, normal gabbro, leuco-gabbro and anorthosite. The cumulus sequence consists of a lower most unit of layered peridotites and an uppermost unit of layered gabbro. This research clarifies the potential of this important group of UAE rocks as valuable economic metalliferous and aggregate/building stone resources. The target rocks of this study the gabbros and anorthosites of Wadi Al Qor area, north of the town of Hatta. In the study area, the rocks are not suitable for aggregate production, as many of them are relatively soft, crumbly, often rusty-brown coloured and fractured. However, these rocks are commonly inter-layered with gabbro on a small scale, making it impossible to avoid them during quarrying operations. Many other types of stones are available, such as gabbro, anorthosite and dunite, which can be used as construction materials. The stones used for building construction should be hard, durable, tough, and should be free from weathered soft patches of material, cracks, and other defects that are responsible for the reduction of strength and durability. Stones for construction purposes are obtained by quarrying from solid massive rocks.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 346-350 |
Number of pages | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Event | 7th International Conference on Engineering Geophysics, ICEG 2023 - Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates Duration: Oct 16 2023 → Oct 19 2023 |
Conference
Conference | 7th International Conference on Engineering Geophysics, ICEG 2023 |
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Country/Territory | United Arab Emirates |
City | Al Ain City |
Period | 10/16/23 → 10/19/23 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geophysics