U.S.-France Cooperative Research: Integrated Studies of Oceanic Spreading Centers of the Oman Ophiolite

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9313822 Shimizu This three-year award supports U.S.-France cooperative research in geochemistry and petrology. U.S. investigators, Nobumichi Shimizu and Peter Kelemen of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, J. Quick of the U.S. Geological Survey and G. Wasserburg of the California Institute of Technology, will collaborate on studies of the Oman ophiolite with French investigators, Aldophe Nicolas and Delphine Bosch of the University of Montpellier, II. Ophiolites are exposed sections of the ocean's crust formed by volcanic and igneous rock accretions at mid ocean spreading centers. The objective is to conduct integrated field and laboratory studies of mantle periodites and melt migration in mantle rocks as preserved in the Oman ophiolite. This ophiolite is especially suitable due to its exposure and thickness of its residual mantle. The results of the study will advance understanding of the physical processes involved in mid-ocean ridges and formation of oceanic crust. The U.S. and French groups will carry out extensive sampling in northern Oman followed by data analysis and meetings in the U.S. The investigators cover many disciplines including structural geology, petrology, trace element geochemistry, and isotope geochemistry. The project takes advantage of significant French expertise on the Oman ophiolite and provides access to detailed structural mapping developed by the French group. ***