OMAN — broadcast
20260806 110000 UTC
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[00:04:14] We have a group of
[00:04:30] Amer, tell us more about this tree. These are one of the famous trees in Dhofar Governorate
[00:04:34] that grow on the mountain slopes. Of course, it is called the Dragon Tree
[00:04:38] or the Arabian Dragon Tree. It belongs to the same species or family
[00:04:41] as the Dragon's Blood Tree.
[00:04:45] behind you, you will see many We have two types of it. This one is called 'Ayr' and grows in the mountain foothills, and
[00:04:48] the one that grows in the plains is called
[00:04:53] tours the governorate, Sayr.
[00:04:55] sees a lot
[00:05:01] In recent times, we have noticed that there are many trails in Jebel
[00:05:05] Samhan. From your follow-up on your accounts and social
[00:05:08] media, what distinguishes
[00:05:11] what made this Jebel Samhan from the other trails? Jebel Samhan is one of the most important
[00:05:15] tourist destinations in Dhofar Governorate and in the Sultanate of Oman in general. You know
[00:05:18] that the highest peak in Dhofar Governorate is Mudun Peak in Jebel Samhan, and it has
[00:05:22] a compass. It is considered one of the tourist and environmental
[00:05:25] destinations. Jebel Samhan is distinguished
[00:05:28] by its diverse terrain, its towering rocky mountains, and also
[00:05:32] by its wildlife,
[00:05:36] globally. Indeed, among them, you can
[00:05:39] distinguish some plants threatened with extinction, and also
[00:05:42] some mammals threatened with extinction.
[00:06:18] discussion, which is the environmental duty that every person
[00:06:22] must have. You don't have to be an employee of the Environment
[00:06:25] Authority. You must have an environmental and
[00:06:28] national duty to preserve this heritage. This is an environmental
[00:06:31] legacy. If we don't preserve it, the future
[00:06:35] generation, how will they see these things, or how
[00:06:39] will we preserve these animals or this pristine environment? So,
[00:08:51] So, welcome, viewers. We just watched
[00:08:55] a report that talked about the environmental diversity,
[00:08:58] and certainly Dhofar is characterized by rare geology,
[00:09:02] comprising a large collection of terrains such as
[00:09:05] valleys, mountains, rocks,
[00:09:09] details. It is a vast science when we talk about geological
[00:09:13] diversity. This is a science that is studied
[00:09:16] extensively. We learn about the movement of the Earth's
[00:09:19] crust and the way it was formed millions
[00:09:24] we are talking about through the Sultanate of Oman
[00:09:29] of the areas that enjoy unique
[00:09:31] geological diversity, and this is perhaps what
[00:09:34] viewers see when they go
[00:09:37] to different sites here in Dhofar Governorate.
[00:09:41] Diversity means splendor and beauty. We will learn about
[00:09:44] these details from our guest, Dr. Ali bin Faraj
[00:09:48] Al-Kathiri, a geological expert. Welcome, Dr., to us, and thank
[00:09:52] you for giving us the opportunity to take a quick look
[00:09:56] at the geology of Dhofar Governorate, God willing, God willing.
[00:09:59] So, Dr., I was saying a while ago that Dhofar Governorate,
[00:10:03] even when a person
[00:10:07] of diversity: caves, many rock
[00:10:11] formations, the nature of the valleys,
[00:10:14] also the presence of formations that are not found in many places.
[00:10:17] You talk about perhaps Al-Mughsayl and others. So,
[00:10:23] geological formation amazing here in Dhofar Governorate? Was
[00:10:27] there a geological event that occurred in ancient
[00:10:30] times? That's right. If we go back to the beginning,
[00:10:34] we can say that Dhofar Governorate
[00:10:37] and parts of Yemen experienced
[00:10:40] a major geological activity that affected this
[00:10:43] region, which was the rifting
[00:10:47] or the formation of the Gulf of Aden and the Red
[00:10:49] Sea. This resulted from, about
[00:10:53] 33 million years ago, Africa and the Arabian
[00:10:56] Peninsula were one piece.
[00:10:59] The separation began, which is called
[00:11:02] continental drift. We have divergence, we have
[00:11:05] collision. In our region
[00:11:08] Sea, as it appears on the screen now, we have
[00:11:12] divergence.
[00:11:14] So the Arabian Peninsula, or
[00:11:18] the Arabian Plate, is moving away from Africa and Somalia.
[00:11:21] Roughly, we can say
[00:11:25] that the Gulf of Aden is diverging by about 2.2
[00:11:29] cm, and the Red Sea by 1.6
[00:11:32] cm per year. Per year, yes. So,
[00:11:35] perhaps after a million years, it will be 22 km
[00:11:38] on each side, meaning 40, 40
[00:11:42] km. It will diverge more. And at the same
[00:11:47] the layers. And at that time,
[00:11:51] herbivorous animals and vertebrates
[00:11:56] on both sides.
[00:11:58] divergence. And
[00:12:01] we find
[00:12:04] large herbivorous animals like ancestors
[00:12:07] of elephants and ancestors of rhinos
[00:12:11] and rhinoceroses. And we can say that this event,
[00:12:15] which is the rifting of the Red Sea and the Gulf
[00:12:18] of Aden, left
[00:12:22] the Arabian Peninsula and on Dhofar Governorate in particular,
[00:12:25] in terms of terrain, in terms of terrain, and
[00:12:29] in terms of the exposure of rocks that were present or
[00:12:33] submerged under sediments were exposed on the surface in new
[00:12:37] sediments where these herbivorous animals appeared.
[00:12:41] Their fossils, God willing.
[00:12:44] And
[00:12:46] also, it shaped the current terrain of Dhofar Governorate.
[00:12:50] Yes. That's why, Doctor, we find a large
[00:12:53] collection of bones of a group of animals that are millions of years old,
[00:12:57] but they remain in
[00:13:00] rocks, limestone, and so on. That's right. It reminds
[00:13:03] us that they existed millions and thousands of years ago, and they remained
[00:13:07] existing, but now we find their bones. That's right. These
[00:13:11] fossils, yes. And the presence of these herbivorous animal fossils
[00:13:14] is evidence that these animals, or the ancestors
[00:13:18] of elephants, lived in this region and it was a rainy
[00:13:22] region. There was enough
[00:13:25] food for these large animals at that
[00:13:28] time. And over time,
[00:13:31] the climate changed, and so on, and they disappeared. Yes, yes, yes.
[00:13:35] Okay, this means, Doctor, we are also watching with
[00:13:38] the viewers now visual examples
[00:13:42] of the nature of the fossils that you find during your scientific research
[00:13:46] about such fossils that prove and from
[00:13:49] which you deduce the nature of life that existed in a certain
[00:13:53] time period. Let's cut from Dhofar
[00:13:57] in general. I was talking about
[00:13:59] Al-Mughsayl. Viewers can see in Al-Mughsayl
[00:14:04] opposite the sea.
[00:14:07] How were such caves formed? What is the scientific explanation for them?
[00:14:11] Yes, in the Al-Mughsayl
[00:14:14] area, there are formations called the Dhofar
[00:14:17] Group. Ah-ha. The Dhofar Group are the formations that
[00:14:20] formed during the formation of the Gulf of Aden, which are
[00:14:24] the Mar'anif. Generally speaking, we have
[00:14:28] formations there called 'Ashooq formations, Al-Mughsayl formations.
[00:14:31] Yes, 'Ashooq formations are older, and they
[00:14:33] formed during a period of peak tectonic activity at that
[00:14:37] time. There were earthquakes and volcanoes.
[00:14:40] And there were rocks, for example,
[00:14:43] land, but as a result of tectonic activity and the presence of some
[00:14:47] earthquakes, very large blocks could fall
[00:14:51] into the sea. Yes, and the Mar'anif rock is one of these examples.
[00:14:55] Indeed, if you look at the Mar'anif rock, we invite the visitor to look
[00:14:59] at this rock. They will find that it is different from the rocky
[00:15:02] layers around it. The Mar'anif rock is a
[00:15:06] rock mass that has no layers,
[00:15:09] and it was perhaps previously a coral
[00:15:12] reef. Yes. And it fell during the deposition
[00:15:15] of the Al-Mughsayl formations, which are stratified
[00:15:17] and chalky.
[00:15:20] What formed the cave in the Mar'anif
[00:15:24] rock is that the sea used to reach this point. The sea wave,
[00:15:28] we told you that there is rifting and uplift
[00:15:31] as a result of tectonic activity, so the sea
[00:15:34] would hit this rock or this rock mass
[00:15:38] and form the cave. The cave is now located
[00:15:42] under the rock. Yes. We also have
[00:15:45] these fountains.
[00:15:48] These fountains date back to newer rocks, newer than what
[00:15:52] formed in the Mar'anif rock. Many people
[00:15:57] below and emerges as
[00:15:59] fountains. This is because these rocks are
[00:16:03] a petrified beach. Therefore, the rocks are not
[00:16:06] rocks in this area,
[00:16:09] especially this place, and there are passages for some animals that
[00:16:13] live in the sand and make passages for them. Yes. And if
[00:16:16] you look closely, you will find some horizontal passages and
[00:16:19] some vertical ones. This facilitates
[00:16:22] the movement of water through these passages left by
[00:16:25] these creatures that lived at that time,
[00:16:29] and then the water flows out through them in the form of fountains.
[00:16:32] Yes, Doctor, these fountains that we see are perhaps also
[00:16:36] very famous in Dhofar Governorate in more than one
[00:16:40] area. So, what does geology also say about
[00:16:43] the water springs that are spread throughout Dhofar Governorate,
[00:16:47] and Mashallah, we find visitors spending a lot
[00:16:51] of time and taking pictures and videos, and lovers
[00:16:54] and explorers of these springs? What else can we say about them,
[00:16:58] Doctor, and what does science say about them?
[00:17:01] The main springs in Dhofar Governorate, we have groups of springs, but
[00:17:05] the main springs that I encourage viewers to search for
[00:17:09] some of the things I will mention now are Ain Jarziz, Ain
[00:17:13] Arzat, and Ain Sahnoot. They have some evidence. This
[00:17:16] evidence indicates that Dhofar Governorate went through very rainy
[00:17:19] periods, and these valleys were
[00:17:23] permanent lakes, not just during Khareef, but these were permanent
[00:17:27] lakes, and trees grew on their banks.
[00:17:30] And in these lakes, limestone
[00:17:33] was deposited from fresh water. It forms in fresh water.
[00:17:37] Generally, limestone is deposited in the sea, but
[00:17:41] there is also limestone that is deposited in fresh water, called travertine.
[00:17:44] Travertine differs from marine limestone
[00:17:48] in terms of formation. This one is very porous,
[00:17:51] and also the type of fossils you find in it.
[00:17:55] For example, if we look at this, this is a travertine rock in the Wadi
[00:17:58] Jarziz area, Doctor. Is this the most famous rock in Dhofar,
[00:18:02] which is limestone? It is present in such
[00:18:06] layers that we have seen. Yes, this is what is found at the
[00:18:09] water springs that were deposited as a result
[00:18:13] of the presence of freshwater lakes. However, the limestone around us in this area
[00:18:16] was deposited in the sea, and these are
[00:18:19] different environmental
[00:18:22] the evidence that about 1000 years
[00:18:25] ago, lakes filled these valleys. The valleys of
[00:18:29] Jarziz, Sahnoot, and Arzak were stable
[00:18:32] lakes. Of course, it is difficult now to imagine that this place was covered
[00:18:36] by seawater, but Subhanallah (Glory be to God), geology changes,
[00:18:39] and this is what is also exciting in geology,
[00:18:42] Doctor. Yes, and also evidence of this
[00:18:46] presence is that these are freshwater sediments. What is our evidence? Someone might say, "Oh
[00:18:50] Ali, you're talking about these being freshwater sediments."
[00:18:54] So we have evidence in these travertine rocks. We find
[00:18:57] imprinted tree leaves. Tree
[00:19:00] leaves left a mold of a tree leaf like
[00:19:02] this, imprinted on these sediments, and you will find them in
[00:19:06] Jarziz and Sah. And Arzat. If you get
[00:19:09] close and search, you will find large quantities of them. So, in this
[00:19:13] way, they fall into the lake,
[00:19:17] and then the leaf itself disappears,
[00:19:20] and the mold remains. Therefore, we find tree
[00:19:24] trunks. Tree trunks fall into these lakes, and they are surrounded
[00:19:26] by and fossilized, and then the cellulose
[00:19:30] dissolves, and its place remains.
[00:19:33] And this is one of the examples that you see in perhaps this is Jarziz,
[00:19:37] meaning the cellulose or the
[00:19:40] wood itself disappears over time, and the mold remains, and the mold
[00:19:44] remains. This is our evidence that these sediments at the water
[00:19:48] springs are freshwater sediments and not seawater
[00:19:51] sediments, and they are newer in age. The oldest age for these
[00:19:55] sediments is
[00:19:57] from 9,000 years to 10,000 years to 2 million years. Mashallah,
[00:20:01] Mashallah, yes, yes. Okay,
[00:20:04] the geological formations present
[00:20:07] in the station or the Al-Houta area here in Dhofar
[00:20:11] Governorate. Tell us about what distinguishes this
[00:20:14] area. We also have a rock formation present
[00:20:18] in the Al-Houta area and in Ain Sarit,
[00:20:21] which is north of Raysut. Umm, even the
[00:20:25] geological name is Al-Houta Ain Sarit.
[00:20:29] Its name is a sandstone. Yes, sandstone.
[00:20:33] And this rock was formed
[00:20:36] a very long time ago. Its age is about,
[00:20:40] we can say, 500 million years, approximately. It was deposited in
[00:20:44] seawater or fresh water, because no fossils have been found
[00:20:47] yet. Then, as a result
[00:20:50] of tectonic activity and Earth's movement, it tilted.
[00:20:53] It tilted and was submerged
[00:20:56] by the sea, and marine sediments
[00:21:01] marine sediments were deposited on it. So,
[00:21:04] in some rocks,
[00:21:06] their layers
[00:21:09] are not tilted, and the Al-Houta rocks have a tilt. Whoever visits
[00:21:12] the Al-Houta area will notice that the black rocks have a tilt.
[00:21:17] in geology an angular unconformity.
[00:21:21] There is a difference in age. The marine sedimentary
[00:21:24] rocks, or the limestone, are about
[00:21:27] 125 million years old, and it is 500
[00:21:31] million years old. In 300, we find a layer that is different in color from the other
[00:21:34] layer. There is a tilt in the old
[00:21:37] rocks. They were horizontal.
[00:21:41] They were subjected to Earth's
[00:21:45] the sea. The sea deposited on them, and we had an angular
[00:21:48] unconformity. Yes. Yes, this is exactly
[00:21:51] what we see, Doctor, as viewers, that over
[00:21:55] time, as Doctor mentioned, the movement of the Earth's
[00:21:59] crust and erosion factors contributed to the uplift of mountains and the carving of
[00:22:02] valleys and slopes. This particular shot, Doctor,
[00:22:05] we notice a fault here. This is a fault or
[00:22:11] this part on the left. It will separate
[00:22:14] it because, in essence, this
[00:22:17] is a fault or a geological crack. And always, if you see
[00:22:20] valleys or rocky slopes, there is usually
[00:22:24] a ground crack or a fault behind them. One of these faults is what
[00:22:29] rocks. Yes, yes. Doctor, how can
[00:22:34] diversity in tourism, especially during seasons like the Dhofar
[00:22:38] Khareef, this amazing geological
[00:22:41] the governorate? Indeed, there are many sites that can
[00:22:44] be visited in Dhofar Governorate, especially for tourism.
[00:22:48] For example, tourists can look for these things in the fresh water that
[00:22:51] we talked about.
[00:22:54] The car goes to the mountain area or
[00:22:57] Al-Mughsayl to look at this, and now they understand
[00:23:01] how this Al-Mughsayl is present and try to see the chalky
[00:23:04] white layers around Al-Mughsayl rock,
[00:23:08] and perhaps if you touch
[00:23:11] the rocks with the fountains, you will know that this is sand. You will notice that this
[00:23:15] is sand similar to beach sand now, but solidified sedimentary
[00:23:18] rocks. We also have in some desert
[00:23:22] areas, we have geodes, geodes or crystalline
[00:23:26] rocks, and we also have in Dhofar, if we move,
[00:23:30] wind deposits, which are the star dunes.
[00:23:33] We have the highest star
[00:23:35] dune, the highest star dune above sea
[00:23:39] level in the world. We have
[00:23:42] a very beautiful site in rocks,
[00:23:45] the basement rocks or what we call the
[00:23:48] Arabian Shield rocks. These are found in
[00:23:52] Dhofar from Mirbat to Hasik, and they are found
[00:23:55] here, and they are found in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Somalia,
[00:23:59] and parts of Egypt, yes, and Sudan.
[00:24:02] Everything was deposited on it, but there is a very
[00:24:06] beautiful site that I encourage people to visit, which is the Laja
[00:24:08] Shiun site. Ah-ha. A mass of vibrant red
[00:24:12] granite, and behind it is the peak of Jebel Samhan
[00:24:15] and a spring that flows from this
[00:24:19] fault. Between the sedimentary rock, this
[00:24:22] is the picture. This is a very beautiful site. Even this red
[00:24:26] mass has frankincense trees growing on it. It has frankincense trees
[00:24:29] very densely. The mountain in the back is Jebel
[00:24:33] Samhan, and it is a sedimentary rock. This rock
[00:24:36] was deposited, it is about 55 million years old. Ah-ha. And this
[00:24:39] is more than 800 million years old. What is the explanation for the colors,
[00:24:42] Doctor? This is due to the diversity of rocks.
[00:24:46] Ah-ha. This red is granite, a granite mass.
[00:24:50] We have two types of igneous rocks: volcanic,
[00:24:53] which cools on the surface,
[00:24:56] the depths, and granite is one
[00:24:58] of the plutonic rocks here.
[00:25:04] dikes. Granite cuts the surrounding
[00:25:07] basement rocks.
[00:25:09] the right
[00:25:12] is a basaltic dike that cuts
[00:25:15] ages. Mashallah, a masterpiece. A masterpiece of ages. Every layer
[00:25:19] has its own. If you look closely, there is a
[00:25:22] crack or a vein that cuts
[00:25:25] the red rock, and so on. This is one of the things. From this masterpiece, you can give
[00:25:29] a group of different ages proportionally.
[00:25:33] One after the other. Subhanallah. Doctor, also, Dhofar
[00:25:36] Governorate is famous for the presence of meteorites
[00:25:40] and its stones that form as if they were
[00:25:42] crystals. This is a new information for me. I was
[00:25:46] talking to Khalid before the beginning of the program that, Mashallah,
[00:25:50] Dhofar Governorate and there are many areas in the Sultanate
[00:25:53] of Oman where meteorites are found. Tell us about
[00:25:57] that, Doctor. Give us a clearer picture.
[00:25:59] Oman is considered one of the most famous
[00:26:04] meteorites, not for the falling of meteorites. Yes.
[00:26:06] Because it's easy to search for meteorites in the desert.
[00:26:10] The inner desert of the Sultanate of Oman has a layer of
[00:26:13] limestone rocks that are light in color. Also,
[00:26:16] the lands have been flat for millions of years. This desert
[00:26:20] remained flat. So any rock,
[00:26:26] on the ground remains in its place. And we sometimes find
[00:26:29] a rock or a meteorite that is, for example, 10
[00:26:32] to 20,000 years old, and near it is another meteorite that is 50,000
[00:26:36] years old. So, whatever falls on the desert remains in its place. Yes. Whereas whatever
[00:26:40] falls in mountains like these would be difficult to find.
[00:26:43] And meteorites are rocks whose origin is
[00:26:48] space to Earth. Yes. Most of these rock
[00:26:52] masses
[00:26:54] are from an asteroid that did not form between Mars
[00:26:57] and Jupiter. So, masses from this orbit
[00:27:00] the Earth, and with the Earth's gravity pulling them, they fall.
[00:27:04] until they fall on the Earth.
[00:27:07] We also have some rocks from the Moon
[00:27:11] and Mars. Of course, Dhofar
[00:27:14] Governorate is one of the most famous areas where meteorites were found.
[00:27:17] and also the central region, yes, due to the ease of searching for them in these
[00:27:21] areas. We have the oldest lunar
[00:27:24] meteorite, which is over 200,000 years old,
[00:27:27] estimated from when it fell to Earth, not the age of formation.
[00:27:30] The age of formation is different, and the age when
[00:27:34] counts. And
[00:27:36] we have, I think, the oldest meteorite that was found
[00:27:40] as a fall trail
[00:27:43] Earth in the
[00:27:46] Haila Al-Raka area. Doctor, you have thus
[00:27:49] motivated a large group of people who love to discover
[00:27:53] these meteorites and these stones. How to preserve them?
[00:27:57] This is also a natural wealth. How to
[00:28:00] preserve these stones that have crystallized and fallen?
[00:28:04] How can we preserve
[00:28:06] taken. That's right. Yes,
[00:28:09] I participated in the Omani-Swiss
[00:28:12] project to search for meteorites. This started in
[00:28:15] 2001
[00:28:17] until now, maybe two years ago, more than 23 years.
[00:28:21] We are still working on this project, and honestly,
[00:28:24] in response to your words, we were in a race with
[00:28:28] meteorite hunters. And we
[00:28:30] find the largest collection kept by Omanis. Ah-ha. And there were
[00:28:34] meteorite hunters, meaning Oman is an open country, a peaceful country, and a very
[00:28:38] hospitable country. Many tourists come
[00:28:41] as specialists searching for meteorites,
[00:28:45] and they are different meteorite hunters. They enter
[00:28:49] with tourist visas.
[00:28:51] Until later, some legislation was enacted in the state, and now
[00:28:55] it has almost disappeared completely, though not entirely.
[00:28:59] This phenomenon of meteorite
[00:29:02] hunters coming. And now as a project
[00:29:05] for searching for meteorites, we have
[00:29:09] project, over 7,000 pieces. Mashallah. Mashallah.
[00:29:12] And it dates back to approximately
[00:29:15] 1,400 falls, because a piece
[00:29:18] is different from a fall. A meteorite in Jaddat
[00:29:22] al-Harasis,
[00:29:24] in 2000, perhaps 2006,
[00:29:27] we collected 3,500 pieces from it. Mashallah.
[00:29:31] So a meteorite falls. smaller makes an
[00:29:34] oval shape, larger piece from Yazak
[00:29:38] falls in front. The last thing, like this
[00:29:40] size, no, this is geodes, these
[00:29:44] are other crystallized rocks. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a picture of this.
[00:29:48] This is from Mudhi area. And Al-Mazyunah area, you find
[00:29:52] these crystallized rocks, and they are the ones that contain quartz, yes.
[00:29:55] And these are cavities where silica
[00:29:58] rocks accumulate, among the sedimentary
[00:30:01] limestone rocks, yes, yes. Great effort, Doctor, you are making
[00:30:06] special heritage that the Sultanate of
[00:30:09] Oman is known for. Of course, to conclude with you, Doctor, we were also surprised that you
[00:30:13] are also a resident of this area, Aseir, correct? Yes.
[00:30:17] So this is also a surprise for us, and surely,
[00:30:21] geology, the first thing you look for is the surrounding environment,
[00:30:25] meaning you study it and analyze it. So what distinguishes Aseir
[00:30:42] we call it Umm Radhuma formations. If you look
[00:30:47] faults, yes, and the edge of the mountain, this is the edge
[00:30:51] of the mountain
[00:30:53] around Salalah city, formed by faults, and it is
[00:30:57] in the shape of a semi- circular arch.