'THE GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF DHUFAR PROVINCE, MUSCAT AND OMAN' [‎35v] (60/96)

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V. ECONOMIC MINERALS
78. In dealing with the mineral resources of Dhufar it is
necessary to remember that practically the entire province is on
Eocene (Lower Tertiary) limestones and that very small areas
include older rocks—Sandstones and Shales which ma^ contain coal
or petroleum, and that such ancient rocks as metamorphic and
Archaean formations, which usually contain metalliferous deposits,
occupy only 60 to 100 square miles in Dhufar (Murbat peneplain),
Furthermore, from the specimens which were collected to show me it
is seen that material came largely from the Archaean rocks, of the
Murbat area, and a little from the Ghaiz wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. inlier of phyllites (of
supposed Mesozoic age). However, there have been no industries
in Dhufar nor any evidence of a mineral industry in this province
at any time in its' long history, except the quarrying of ‘freestone’
for building purposes, the manufacture of stone pipes (for smoking
tobacco), the production of earthenware (pottery) and the occasion^
use of edible clay. The practice of eating clay is far wider than is
normally appreciated even by geologists and medical men, indeed, it
is correct to say that 9 out of 10, so-called ‘salt licks’ frequented
by animals, are clay-licks. The list of minerals to be considered is
as follows:—
(1) Alum shale; (2) Aluminium ore or Bauxite; (3) Building
stone; (4) Coal and Lignite; (5) Copper ore; ( 6 ) Dolo
mite ; (7) Edible clay; ( 8 ) Flint and chert; (9) Gypsum
and Anhydrite; (10) Hematite (Iron ore); (11) Lead
ore (Galena); (12) Limestone; (13) Oil (Petroleum);
(14) Pottery clays; (15) Road ‘metal’; (16) Salt;
(17) Serpentine; (18) Talc (Soapstone); (19) Tremo-
lite; and (20) Water-supplies.
Alum Shale
79. A sample of carbonaceous material from the Ansarit side
of the gap at the head of the Nagar Ghaiz wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , 9 to 12 miles, west-
north-west of Risut, with a strong astringent taste (of Alum) was
analyzed and showed only 2-84% of water-soluble components, but
these included 1-21% calcium sulphate, 0-90% magnesium sulphate,
0-02% ferrous sulphate, 0-13% aluminium sulphate, 0*28% sodium
sulphate and 0-30% sodium chloride. The carbonaceous matter in
the specimens represent 14-66% of the whole and yield 9'06 0 / 0
volatile matter (including a small proportion of moisture) and 5-60 0 / 0
fixed carbc
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