'THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF DHUFAR PROVINCE, MUSCAT AND OMAN' [‎10r] (9/96)

FOREWORD
At the time of my investigations in the Dhufar province of the Sultanate of
Oman the only detailed observations of the Arabian coast between Muscat and
Aden regarding its geology, were those of a century ago, restricted entirely to
coast lands, including of course the strip from Ras Nus, facing Kuria Muria bay from
the west, to Ras Dharbat Ali, at the eastern end of Qamar bay, roughly 150 miles.
Similarly, the geographical features of the province, up to a distance of 30 miles
or so from the coast, inland from Salalah, were fairly fully recorded, with a topo
graphical map by a trained surveyor, half a century ago. Slight additions have been
made, subsequently, both to the coastal geology and to the geography of Dhufar,
about 20 years ago, by a geologist and an explorer separately. No geologist had
previously traversed the Jabal Qara and crossed the Qarn Shaiba country beyond it.
There was no published information regarding the economic geology of Dhufar,
and, as it requires a field season for a good geologist to map 1,000 square miles of
country, and the area concerned in Dhufar was not less than 4,500 square miles
(there were no suitable topographical maps of reasonably accurate mapping), it was,
in my opinion, best to have a preliminary or reconnaissance survey to collect data.
His Highness Saiyid Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, had desired to
have a clear idea of the mineral wealth of Dhufar province as early as possible.
It was thus evident that a well-arranged tour would yield information on both the
structural and the economic geology of the region in question and allow the data
to be the basis of an audit, a mineral audit, of the resources of this part of the
Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, as desired by the Sultan. ,.
The accompanying Report, therefore, is to be regarded as a Mineral Audit of
the Resources of Dhufar rather than as a Report on the Economic Geology of Dhufar,
which is the title actually adopted. The Report has been specially written. I
have been impressed by the possibilities of an oil-field in the Jabal Qara, as it would
seem from the stratigraphical geology that both ‘ source-rocks and reservoir-rocks
are present, even if hidden, and that the lower Eocene limestones might be a possible
second or upper ‘reservoir-rock’ if these strata are present. The middle Eocene
might prove to act as ‘cover-rocks’ for the lower Eocene ‘reservoir-rock’, but that
the main ‘ source-rock ’ and ‘ reservoir-rock ’ are much lower in the geological sequence,
and might be represented by the argillaceous and marly sandstones exposed in the
southern slopes of the Samhan hills facing the Murbat platform.
Almost everyone who has visited Dhufar has remarked on the advantages it
possesses in climate over" any other part of southern Arabia, and those who have
crossed into the Jabal Qara have written in glowing terms of forests and herds and
grand country. It is the only portion of southern Arabia which enjoys a dry and a
wet monsoon, the latter yielding a rainfall of 25 to 30 inches, at least, on the Jabal
Qara, and providing water for several springs which discharge on to the Dhufar
plain’s, as well as sending floods down the wadis across the watershed of A 1 Qutun
into the bare lands of the Qarn Shaiba to the north. There is a landing ground near
Salalah, where is the Sultan’s Pajace, and an anchorage in Risut bay, which was
used during the war. His Highness has been the initiator of the investigations I
have made, and incidentally provided me with the most reliable local information
on the mineral discoveries and water-supply facts, thus showing a greater interest
by a Ruler than I have previously met with.
To appreciate the condition of affairs in Dhufar the reader should glance through
the pages of Southern Arabia by J. T. and M. V. A. Bent (19 00 ) an d those of