Mineral Deposits Assessment of the Jabal Tays Ophiolite Complex, Eastern Arabian Shield, Saudi Arabia

Al-Amar-Idsas fault is one of the most important tectonic features in the Eastern Arabian Shield and is a major effect in Jabal Tays ophiolite complex. This study aims to the assessment of mineral deposits and petrographic characteristics of the Jabal Tays. Through field investigation, rock sampling and microscopic examination we accomplished a better understanding of the nature of tectonic evolution in the area. Mafic-ultramafic rocks at Jabal Tays include a large amount of serpentinite, subordinate amounts of gabbro intruded by mafic dikes, melange, serpentinite schist, and listwaenite. The serpentinite makes up the bulk of Jabal Tays variably sheared and typically consists of relatively massive serpentinite cut by shear zones marked by serpentinite schist. Mafic-ultramafic rocks generally confined to brittle-ductile shear zones, which are sub-parallel to the prevailing NW or NNW structural trends confined to the metamorphic terrains, especially to zones intruded by mafic volcanic rocks (gabbro, serpentinites and talc carbonate). Based on these results, we concluded that the contacts between Abt Schist at Ad Dawadimi Terrane and metavolcano-sedimentary rocks formed during progressive thrusting under a brittle to semi-ductile deformation conditions by simple shear, which is, also involve a component of vertical shortening, causing sub horizontal foliation in Jabal Tays area.