Al Hajar Mountains Earthcache Oman EarthCache
Al Hajar Mountains Earthcache Oman
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The Hajar Mountains parallel the east coast of the UAE. At their highest point in the north, in the Musandam Peninsula, they reach a height of 2000 metres. There the mountain slopes drop directly into the sea. This area is known locally as the Ru'us Al-Jibal , literally the 'heads of the mountains.' The Ru'us Al-Jibal exposes the thick sequence of Mesozoic carbonates of the Arabian Platform which correlates with the principal oil bearing strata that lie deeply buried to the west.
To the south of the Ru'us Al-Jibal the Hajar Mountains consist of a complex of igneous and sedimentary rocks which represent the upper mantle, oceanic crust and deep ocean sediments of the ocean that once lay to the north-east. The igneous rocks of the mantle and oceanic crust are collectively called ophiolites. The ophiolites of the UAE now lie above the rocks of the Arabian Platform The Hajar Mountains constitute the world's most extensive surface exposure of ophiolites. For this reason they are of tremendous interest to geologists.
(Source: Gary Feulner, Dabai Natural History Group)
You can find a very detailed and interesting article about the geological history of the UAE and Oman he (visit link)
At the cache location you can see a very sharp edge in the rock formation, where the layers steeply dropping downwards the sea level.
Please answer the following questions by mail and log your find:
1. Estimate the average diameter of the visible layers of Orphiolite at the cache location,
2. How many years ago did the uplift of today`s Hajar Mountain start?
Please feel free to upload your pictures of the Al Hajar Mountains!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Byvtbprar zvtug urycf lbh gb nafjre dhrfgvba 2.