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OPHIOLITES
Ophiolite Overview
So what is an ophiolite?
Well first of all the term ophiolite is typically misused as a rock type when in fact it is referring to a sequece of rocks or rock types. Ophiolite is actually a section of the earth’s oceanic crust and upper mantle that has been uplifted and typically is exposed on top of continental crust. When thrust onto continental crust the process is referred to as ‘obduction‘.
As a geologist I was attracted to the northern section of Wadi Abyad as it has a rare example of the “moho” exposed. This is a section of the lowercrust and upper mantle. In Wadi Abyad we see an example of oceanic moho which has been brought to the surface from a depth of 5 – 10km. In continental regions this may be as deep as 50km.