Ophiolite - Notable Ophiolites

Notable Ophiolites

Examples of ophiolites that have been influential in the study of these rocks bodies are:

• Semail Ophiolite in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, widely considered one of the best exposed ophiolite sequences
• Troodos Ophiolite in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus, in these case its study has partly been economically motivated as the copper deposits of Cyprus are part of the ophiolite.
• Macquarie Island, Tasmania, Australia, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, as the only known example of an ophiolite complex in the process of being formed and currently in its original geological setting.
• Bay of Islands Ophiolite in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 because of its superbly exposed complete ophiolite stratigraphic sequence
• Yakuno, Horokanai, and Poroshiri, three full ophiolite sequences in Japan
• At least part of the Bonin Islands may represent an ophiolite arc.
• Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt, South Island, New Zealand. The rocktype dunite is named after this locality.
• Zambales and Angat ophiolites, Luzon, Philippines. Two ophiolites of similar age (44-48 Ma) forming the basement of the northern Luzon island arc complex. Major metallurgical and refractory chromite mining has occurred in the Zambales ophiolite.