REEs Prospects in Laterites Profiles of Ibra, Sultanate of Oman

REEs now days are acting as an alternative source of low- sustainable energy economy and got strategic significance in the development of most of the current high-end technologies in industries and Laterite deposits provide one of the major natural sources of REEs. Laterite soil or rock is a product of intensive and prolonged weathering of underlying parent rock formed in hot and wet tropical areas. It is mainly rich in iron and aluminum oxides. The development of laterite profiles in most of Oman Mountains is mainly related to the late Cretaceous (Coniacian to late Companion) tectonic evolution of the Oman Mountains which are part of the Alpine–Himalayan fold belt. Laterite and regolith formations can be found overlie the Samail ophiolite in Oman. Samail Ophiolite is a part of upper mantle & Oceanic lithosphere which over thrusted on to the continental crust. The Samail ophiolite is considered as one of the major features of the Oman Mountains. The present study focuses on the REEs prospects in the Ibra region of Sultanate of Oman and study area of Ibra region lies within the Samail Ophiolite. The fieldwork was carried out for geological evaluation at the Ibra region. Total 3 number of Laterite profiles were observed during the fieldwork. Samples were collected from the Harzburgite rock. All samples were analyzed for ICPMS analysis to know the REEs. Field observation and chemical analysis clearly indicates that the Ibra region might have good prospect for REEs exploration and mining based on their REEs content