The formation of new subduction zones is a fundamental process of the solid Earth that controls the motion of the tectonic plates, and therefore the formation of volcanoes and earthquakes around the globe. Despite its importance, this process is still poorly understood. The THIN project, as originally submitted in September 2020, aimed at studying the deformation in the mantle section of ophiolites to reconstruct the nature, style, and kinematics of the tectonic processes associated with the formation of a new subduction zone. This main aim, was achievable by using a set of techniques such as: paleomagnetism, magnetic fabric, field structural geology, and an innovative magnetite geochronology method.
Having the project started soon after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the primary fieldwork in the Sultanate of Oman could not be carried out due to travel restrictions imposed by the Oman authorities to non-residents. Because of this, the original project was substantially revised in terms of main objectives and study area. The alternative project that have been carried out in the end, addressed another key question of global plate tectonics: what happens when a spreading ridge ceases its activity? The revised THIN project aimed at studying the deformation of the upper mantle and lower crustal section of the Troodos Ophiolite of Cyprus to understand the tectonic processes associated with the demise of a spreading ridge.
The topics investigated by the revised THIN project are relevant to the society, as ore deposits are typically extracted from ophiolites for economic exploitation. Ore deposits, primarily copper and chrome, are formed in the oceanic crust and mantle, respectively, during the accretion of new crust at a spreading ridge. Ophiolites are pieces of oceanic lithosphere that have been uplifted above sea level. Hence, understanding how a spreading ridge preserved in an ophiolite like Troodos ends its activity and is eventually disrupted by tectonic processes is fundamental to predict if, where, and how much ore deposits were formed at that specific spreading ridge.
