Structures and timing of Permian rifting in the central Oman Mountains (Saih Hatat)

We investigated remnants of Permian rifting sequences in the Saih Hatat metamorphic window (central Oman Mountains), part of the former Arabian continental margin which has been overthrust by the Semail ophiolite. In the less-deformed northwestern part of the Saih Hatat, well-preserved or inverted synsedimentary normal faults indicate ENE-WSW Permian extension. We propose new stratigraphic correlations with the more-deformed and metamorphosed parts of the Saih Hatat, based on lithostratigraphy and large-scale structures unfolding which indicate that breakup of the Permian platform resulted in sediment thickening and deepening towards the ENE. This rift event was coeval with within-plate volcanism that was widespread in all compartments of the margin, but marked by a single event in the stratigraphic record of the platform. In this part of the Arabian margin, rifting was restricted to a short time interval (less than 5 My) during the Murghabian, and volcanism can be correlated with the Panjal Traps event. We propose that this part of the Neotethyan margin formed as a volcanic rifted margin in a triple-junction setting. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.