What are Ophiolites?

OPHIOLITES
• Plate tectonic theory provides an explanation for short-life of
ocean floors , being derived from mantle and returning to it
Lecture M.Sc Tech (I year) within a time scale of ~200 Ma.

• Occasionally some portions of oceanic floor ESCAPE

destruction at subduction zones & during final stages of
oceanic closure gets obducted to to one of the colliding
continental forelands to form a OPHIOLITE.

• Name was first coined by STEINMANN (1927)

N.V.CHALAPATHI RAO • Ophiolite is not a SINGLE ROCK but an association of various

CENTRE OF ADVANCED STUDY IN GEOLOGY litho-units.
BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY
VARANASI-221005 (U.P)
nvcr100@gmail.com • Ophiolite association represent SLICES OF OCEANIC
http://www.nvcrao.webs.com CRUST that has been THRUST upon the continent.

What are ophiolites? OBDUCTION of OCEANIC CRUST

• An ophiolite is a unique assemblage of volcanic, mafic cumulate and

ultramafic rocks.
• Because of the vagaries of emplacement, ophiolites are generally
represented as dismembered parts or small blocks along fault
systems.
• Other evidences for ophiolites as oceanic crust :
• (1) Range in thickness of internal units of well exposed
ophiolites matches well with the range of thickness of
oceanic crust layers obtained by seismic studies.
• (2) Dredging of oceanic studies, heat flow studies &
petrological deductions (mantle models) are compatible
with ophiolite model.
 Idealized Ophiolite sequence
Ophiolite stratigraphy (from study of world ophiolites)

• 1. Deformed (tectonized ) peridotite: (Bottom most layer) and is

essentially made of harzburgite, dunite (rarely lherzolite is also present) and
serpentine. Peridotite layer is considered to be Residual (depleted) or restite
layer after removal of partial melt products.
• 2. Layered Cumulate rock, with olivine chromite layers at the base giving
way to typical gabbroic—trondjhematic (plagiogranites), anorthositic,
troctolitic rocks (differentiated products of gabbro) at the top. Sometimes,
a non-cumulate gabbro (isotropic gabbro) may also found at the top.
• 3. Sheeted Dyke complex: Dike swarms with almost vertical dykes and
they are severely affected by secondary hydrothermal processes.
• 4. Basaltic volcanic member composed of hydrothermally altered pillow
lava (sometimes spilitic).
• 5. All the above igneous associations are capped by a thin zone of
radiolarian cherts & / or other marine sediments. This zone definetely
links ophiolites to marine environments.

• Please note that all members are seldom present in all ophiolite
complexes!

Specific Terminology of Ophiolite complexes Samail ophiolite, Oman

• OLISTOSTROME : The base of peridotite is mylonitized (highly
shared and cataclastically deformed) Consists of greenschists. This
is called OLISTOSTROME (or tectonic melange).
• It extends to over 650 kms.
• Residual heat from ophiolite and / or frictional heating during
• It has 30,000 sq km of outcrop
thrusting is believed to be responsible for this metamorphism.
• Stratigraphic thickness of 18 km.
• OBDUCTION: Slicing of oceanic crust thrusted onto continental
plate during continental collisions or subduction. • All members of ophiolite sequence are
well exposed.
• SEISMIC MOHO: Seismic distinction between oceanic crust & upper
mantle occurs where gabbro grade down towards layered • Contacts can be well studied.
peridotites.

• PETROLOGICAL MOHO: Layered peridotites (produced by crystal

settling in magma chambers) change to massive peridotites in upper
mantle.

• STEINMANN TRINITY: another name for Ophiolite complexes!

(ultramafic, mafic & pelagic sediments)
 Ophiolite Sequence at Sumail, Oman Serpentinites (weathered peridotites)

PILLOW LAVAS IN SUMAIL OPHIOLITE, OMAN Pillow Lavas – a closer look

LAYERED GABBRO in SUMAIL OPHIOLITE, OMAN Plagiogranite in SUMAIL OPHIOLITE, OMAN

SHEETED DYKES IN SUMAIL OPHIOLITE, OMAN World & Indian ophiolites

• Alpine ophiolites are world famous.

• Ophiolites of Himalaya
• Part of a continental Ophiolite zone passes from
Baluchistan arc-Kashmir syntaxis- Tsang-Po- Naga &
Manipur hills- Burma – Andamans- Indonesia.
• Various names;
• Indus-ophiolite belt
• Shyok ophiolite belt
• Malla Johar ophiolite belt of Uttaranchal/UP
 Distribution of European Ophiolites

• European ophiolites are related to the collision of Europe with

Africa.
• They represent remnants of the Jurassic Tethyan Ocean
• Ophiolites provide yet another evidence for Plate tectonics!!!