Subsidence and Uplift History of the UAE and the Western Flank of the UAE‐Oman Mountain Range

Abstract

AbstractThe western flank of the UAE‐Oman mountain range offers a unique geodynamic setting to study the development of a cratonic rift into a mature passive margin and its subsequent flexure under orogenic load. However, the geodynamic processes driving this evolution are not fully understood. In this study, seismic and biostratigraphic data from 283 exploration wells were utilized to assess the regional subsidence and uplift history of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and neighboring areas of the western flank of the UAE‐Oman mountain range. Three major sequences have been identified: pre‐Permian, Permian‐Turonian rifted margin, and Coniacian‐Pleistocene active margin. Backstripping of biostratigraphic data reveals Early Permian (ca. 272 Ma) and Late Jurassic (ca. 160) rift phases, that have been linked to Gondwana's early and final fragmentation. A NE‐SW‐oriented basin in central UAE suggests a Jurassic intracratonic rift that has been influenced by pre‐existing structures. Compressional phases were identified during the Late Cretaceous and in the Oligocene‐Miocene, coinciding with the emplacement of the Semail ophiolite and the Arabian‐Eurasian plates collision, respectively. These events caused additional subsidence and flank uplift, forming the Aruma foreland basin in the east and the Pabdeh foreland basin in the eastern and northern UAE. Crustal thickness following the rift episodes ranges from 30 to 36 km, resulting in a sedimentary cover thickness of 11–14 km. These estimates are in accord with Moho depths derived from teleseismic receiver functions and gravity inversion. These findings can be used to better understand Gondwana fragmentation and the opening and closing of the Neo‐Tethys Ocean.