Oman

Oman's seismicity arises from two distinct tectonic environments. The dominant source is the Makran [[subduction-zone]] offshore in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, where the oceanic floor of the Gulf of Oman is being subducted beneath Iran and Pakistan along the Makran accretionary prism. This subduction zone is capable of generating great earthquakes and large-scale [[tsunami]]s — the 1945 Makran earthquake (magnitude 8.1) generated a tsunami that killed approximately 4,000 people in Pakistan and Oman and was felt as far as Mumbai. Oman's Hajar Mountains in the north represent an obducted ophiolite — a fragment of ancient oceanic crust from the Tethys Ocean that was thrust onto the Arabian continent during the Late Cretaceous. Active [[fault]] systems within the Hajar Mountains and at the Oman coastline contribute additional seismic hazard.

The most significant modern earthquake directly affecting Oman was the June 2007 Ghubbet Hasees event (magnitude 5.6) near Muscat, which caused panic and minor damage. The 1945 Makran earthquake generated [[tsunami]] waves that struck the Muscat coast, and historical accounts describe wave damage in Oman's coastal cities. The Masirah Island area off the eastern coast of Oman is positioned close to the Owen Fracture Zone, a major oceanic transform fault that occasionally generates moderate to large earthquakes. Events on the Owen Fracture Zone have been felt in Oman and Oman's offshore areas. The mountainous northern Oman region around Muscat and the Hajar range shows evidence of active faulting that warrants careful attention in urban planning.

The tectonic setting of Oman is dominated by its position on the passive margin of the Arabian Plate, but with the active Makran convergent margin less than 200 kilometres north of the Musandam Peninsula. The Musandam Peninsula itself forms a salient that projects northward into the Strait of Hormuz, and its complex folded and faulted geology reflects the local stress concentration at this corner of the Arabian Plate. The Owen Fracture Zone to the east of Oman represents the transform fault connecting the Carlsberg Ridge to the Makran subduction zone, completing the active plate boundary circuit around the Arabian Plate. GPS measurements in Oman show the slow but systematic northward motion of the Arabian Plate, confirming ongoing convergence with the Iranian margin. [[seismic-wave]] attenuation across the stable Arabian Platform is relatively low, meaning that energy from major Makran events reaches Muscat and other Omani cities with significant amplitude.