Jormua Ophiolite

The rocks of the Jormua Ophiolite formed about 1,950 million years ago in the Paleoproteozoic Era.

The conditions under which the ocean crust rocks of Jormua formed was likely similar to present-day Red Sea.

The eastern and northern blocks are most similar to one another containing mantle peridotites intruded by gabbro stocks and basaltic sheeted dikes.

These are overlaid by a metabasaltic pillow lava layer which is directly overlain by black turbitic shales.

Mantle rocks exposed in the ophiolite are the peridotite varieties of lherzolite, harzburgite and dunite.