Chert and metalliferous sediments
Deep-sea sediments
Fine sediments that settled on the ancient sea floor on top of the lavas.
GeoAstro Geo Lab
Explore the Geological Wonders of Oman
Discover millions of years beneath your feet — an interactive journey through Oman’s rocks, fossils and deep history, then see it for real on our geology tours.
Inside the Geo Lab
Five ways into Oman’s deep time
- Module 1Interactive geological mapExplore our Muscat and Jabal Akhdar geology routes and stargazing hubs across Oman.Open · scientific review in progressOpen
- Module 2Geological Time MachineFrom ice ages about 700 million years ago to rocks still forming today.Open · scientific review in progressOpen
- Module 3Rocks, minerals & fossilsPeridotite, pillow lava, eclogite, stromatolites, travertine and more.Open · scientific review in progressOpen
- Module 4Virtual field tripsWalk our Muscat and Jabal Akhdar geology routes, stop by stop.Open · scientific review in progressOpen
- Module 5Learn geologyRock identification, Oman’s history, challenges and school resources.Open · scientific review in progressOpen
Built on 24 published and data sources. Every item shows whether it is a measurement, a published interpretation or a simplified model — 106 of 106 items are awaiting geologist review.
Journey to the Mantle
Walk down through an ancient ocean floor
Oman’s mountains preserve a slice of ancient ocean floor — the Samail (Semail) ophiolite — that formed at an oceanic spreading centre about 96–95 million years ago and was later thrust onto the edge of Arabia. It is one of the largest and best-exposed ophiolites on Earth.
Published interpretationDraft · pending geologist reviewSources: Searle & Cox 1999, Searle 2019, Rioux et al. 2012
On our Muscat route, the Muttrah GeoTrek is “a journey down toward the mantle that explains the ophiolite sequence”.
Basalt
Pillow lavas
Basalt lava that erupted under the sea cooled quickly into rounded “pillows”.
Dolerite
Sheeted dykes
Vertical sheets of dolerite — the feeder channels that carried magma up to the sea floor.
Gabbro (lower oceanic crust)
Gabbro
Coarse-grained rock that crystallised slowly from magma deep in the oceanic crust. Zircon crystals in these gabbros have been dated to about 96–95 million years ago.
Dunite and gabbro
Moho transition zone
The boundary between the oceanic crust and the mantle beneath it — rarely visible on land.
Harzburgite and dunite
Mantle peridotite
Rock from Earth’s upper mantle, rich in the mineral olivine. Where water reacts with it today, new carbonate minerals and travertine form.
Published interpretationDraft · pending geologist reviewSources: Penrose 1972, Nicolas et al. 2000, Kelemen & Matter 2008
From Earth to Sky
Many of our geology routes end under the stars. Explore tonight’s sky above Oman in our Sky Lab.
Open the Sky LabSee it for real
Walk through Oman’s geological story with us
Muscat Geology Tour
Seven stops from the ophiolite to the Sifah eclogite.
Book Muscat Geology Tourbooking enquiry via WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)Jabal Akhdar Geology Tour
Five stops from Coral Park to the cultural hike in Al Ain village.
Book Jabal Akhdar Geology Tourbooking enquiry via WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)School geology experience
Hands-on geology for students, on campus or in the field.
Request a School Geology Experiencebooking enquiry via WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)Private geological field trip
A private geology field trip for your group or university.
Enquire About a Private Geological Field Tripbooking enquiry via WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
A WhatsApp message is an enquiry, not a confirmed booking. Our team will reply to confirm availability, details and the programme. Experiences depend on sky and weather conditions.