Exploring the fascinating geology of the Sultanate

A variety of books on all subjects — from religious, humanities, science, sociology and fiction through to children’s books — greet visitors at the 22nd edition of Muscat International Book Fair at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

There are also hundreds of books on Oman — its history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food etc. The Omani culture owes much to the geography of the country.

Among a heap of books is Field Guide to the Geology of Northeastern Oman — a product came out as result of a joint effort between members of Geological Society of Oman and the German Geological Society.

The fascinating geology of Oman is obvious, not only to experts. Visitors to the country are immediately impressed by the variety of land forms and rocks. For many this comes as a surprise, as the general perception of “Arabia” is often related to dry, barren desert landscapes.

The diverse and fascinating geology displayed on mountains, deserts, caves and wadis allows studying the details of both the continental and oceanic plates.

The authors of the 283-page field guide are Prof Dr Gösta Hoffmann of the Departments of Geoscience, GUtech and University of Bonn/ Germany, Prof Dr Martin Meschede, University of Greifswald/Germany, Dr Anne Zacke, University of Bonn and Dr Mohammed al Kindi, former president of GSO.

The book is published by Borntraeger Science Publisher and is available internationally.

“We hope that with this book the reader will be able to put the variety of Oman’s beautiful landscape into a scientific context and to understand the processes that led to its formation. Consequently, this book aims to serve as a general introduction and guide to the geology of Oman for laymen, students and geologists alike,” the authors say.

The idea behind the field guide emerged during the academic stints of Prof Goesta Hoffmann and Anne Zacke at GUtech. During numerous field trips and excursions that were conducted with the support of GSO, the geoscientists started to collect rocks. They then set up a special rock collection at GUtech, comprising around 1,500 specimen of rocks.

“Oman is like a museum. In Oman you can study geology like nowhere else in the world. In contrast to many other countries, the rocks are accessible and visible on the surface,” says Prof Dr Hoffmann, adding that the geology of Oman is spectacular — for the touristic layman and the geologist alike.

The authors emphasise describing the processes that led to the formation of Oman’s rocks and formed over millennia history.

The geological guidebook has two parts: The first provides a general introduction to the geology of Oman landscapes of Earth’s (GSO), and enables the reader to put the variety of geological phenomena and observations into a scientific context.

Following the introductory chapters on archaeology, climate and vegetation, the geomorphological and geological aspects of Oman are presented.

The second and largest part of the guide consists of meticulous descriptions of 99 excursion points located across the northeast of the country. The authors have carefully selected the most interesting and important sites.

As the book is written in a textbook style and presents geology in a comprehensible way, a broad understanding is facilitated. Therefore, this field guide not only addresses geologists but also amateurs, visitors and travellers exploring the beauty and significance of Oman geology.

A large number of colour illustrations, a geological overview map, an index, and a list of references complete the content of the guide.