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49-520: The first find of Hafit era tombs is attributed to the Danish archaeologist PV Glob in 1959, and the first of many excavations of these took place a few years later. Located in the area south of the city of Al Ain, the Jebel Hafeet Desert Park contains the original necropolis of Hafit Graves which led to the naming of this period in the human history of the emirates. A series of ridges leading from

98-444: A depth of no more than 150 m (490 ft). In the caves there are well-preserved stalagmites and stalactites . Access to the caves is partly natural, while in other parts of the city of Al Ain, the entrance is blocked. At the foot of Jebel Hafeet lies a tourist attraction with hot springs and a lake. To the northeast is the mountain's largest wadi , Wadi Tarabat . The mountain has ridges which stretch northwards to

147-474: A high rate of compression and seismic activity due to the converging San Andreas Fault. As a result, the Ventura anticline rises at a rate of 5 mm/year with the adjacent Ventura Basin converging at a rate of about 7–10 mm/year. The anticline is composed of a series of sandstone rock beds and an impermeable rock cap under which vast reserves of oil and gas are trapped. Eight different oil bearing zones along

196-523: A hot desert climate (BWh) according to the Köppen climate classification . On average, 77 mm (3.0 in) of rain falls annually. The temperature is relatively cool from October to March, usually remaining below 25 °C (77 °F). The average overall temperature is 27.1 °C (80.8 °F). The Jabal Hafit mountain trends NNW–SSE over about 26 km (16 mi) and is 4–5 km (2.5–3.1 mi) wide. It protrudes 900 m (3,000 ft) above

245-561: A lake, and swimming pools and Jacuzzis scattered all over the area. There is also a small dam, constructed in 1955 and restored in 2005, one of the earliest development projects instituted by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan , who was the governor of Al-Ain before becoming the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE. The Mubazzara Dam is freely accessible to the public. On top of

294-680: A natural habitat for a wide range of animals, including bats , foxes , snakes , rodents , and hyraxes . The lizard Acanthodactylus opheodurus , which until 1982 was considered extinct in the UAE, has been observed in the area. Among the birds, there is the greatest biodiversity of the whole country: a study counted 119 species of birds. Finally, they have been cataloged, with about 200 different insects, and 23 species of butterflies . Recently, seven species of lacewing insects were discovered here. They were previously thought not to have been in this country, but in Saudi Arabia . The Arabian tahr

343-426: A single axial plane. An overturned anticline is an asymmetrical anticline with a limb that has been tilted beyond perpendicular , so that the beds in that limb have basically flipped over and may dip in the same direction on both sides of the axial plane. If the angle between the limbs is large (70–120 degrees), then the fold is an "open" fold , but if the angle between the limbs is small (30 degrees or less), then

392-458: Is a challenge for cyclists who frequently use the route to train. The Jabal Hafeet Mercure Challenge is an annual road cycling competition taking place in January. National and international riders take part in climbing the 8% average ascent of the mountain. In 2015 it hosted the arrival of the third stage of first edition of Abu Dhabi Tour , won by Colombian Esteban Chaves . Since 2019, the road to

441-704: Is a large anticline in which a series of minor anticlinal folds are superimposed. Examples include the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Purcell Anticlinorium in British Columbia and the Blue Ridge anticlinorium of northern Virginia and Maryland in the Appalachians, or the Nittany Valley in central Pennsylvania. Anticlines are usually developed above thrust faults, so any small compression and motion within

490-786: Is a mountain in the region of Tawam , on the border of the United Arab Emirates and Oman , which may be considered an outlier of the Hajar Mountains in Eastern Arabia . Due to its proximity to the main Hajar range, the mountain may be considered as being part of the Hajar range. To the north is the UAE city of Al Ain , in the Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi , and the adjacent Omani town of Al-Buraimi . The sole mountain in

539-415: Is also found here. In 1949, an Arabian leopard was spotted here by Wilfred Thesiger . In 1976, one was shot and wounded, as reported by Hellyer, who claimed another sighting in 1993. The leopard is now possibly extinct in the country's wilderness. In addition, rock hyrax were recently introduced here, and could serve as prey for the leopard, if the latter had to be re-introduced. In February 2019,

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588-408: Is an anticline , or more specifically an east-verging pericline. The west limb has a dip of around 30° and the east limb has overturned bedding at 70° in the central area. This results in an inclined axial plane, creating an asymmetric fold . This is unexpected because the structure is folding towards the Hajar Mountains in the east. If the structure is related to the formation of the Hajar range,

637-728: Is debated, and the driving force is not fully understood. Some geologists relate the deformation of the Jabal Hafit anticline to the early Miocene Zagros Collision , which is currently active and is caused by the Arabian Plate colliding with the Eurasian Plate . However, the Jabal Hafit Anticline is not actively deforming , and undeformed Miocene sedimentary rocks around the anticline indicate that no deformation has occurred recently. Sedimentary evidence indicates that

686-407: Is greatest, also called the crest . The hinge is also the highest point on a stratum along the top of the fold. The culmination also refers to the highest point along any geologic structure. The limbs are the sides of the fold that display less curvature. The inflection point is the area on the limbs where the curvature changes direction. The axial surface is an imaginary plane connecting

735-406: Is percolating from the surface to about 2 km (1.2 mi) depth and then returning to the surface. This provides evidence for faults below the anticline, as faulting fractures the rock and provides fluid pathways. The limestone layers were deposited laterally within a basin , and then horizontal shortening folded the layers into an anticline . The timing of when this folding occurred

784-597: Is the El Dorado anticline in Kansas. The anticline was first tapped into for its petroleum in 1918. Soon after the site became a very prosperous area for entrepreneurs following World War I and the rapid popularization of motor vehicles . By 1995 the El Dorado oil fields had produced 300 million barrels of oil. The central Kansas uplift is an antiform composed of several small anticlines that have collectively produced more than 2.5 million barrels of oil. Another notable anticline

833-535: Is the Tierra Amarilla anticline in San Ysidro, New Mexico. This is a popular hiking and biking site because of the great biodiversity, geologic beauty and paleontological resources. This plunging anticline is made up of Petrified Forest mudstones and sandstone and its caprock is made of Pleistocene and Holocene travertine. The anticline contains springs that deposit carbon dioxide travertine that help to contribute to

882-483: Is the historic Mezyad Fort . Jebel Hafeet is a popular tourist center with a broad view over the whole area from the summit. The touristic attraction at the foot of the mountain is Green Mubazzarah ( Arabic : ٱلْمُبَزَّرَة ٱلْخَضْرَاء , romanized :  Al-Mubazzarah Al-Khaḍrāʿ ), a well-developed tourist attraction featuring a geyser, a children's play park and a number of chalets for hire, several hot-water springs gushing forth in little streams and forming

931-765: Is trapped and stored in reservoir rock such as sandstone or porous limestone. The oil becomes trapped along with water and natural gas by a caprock that is made up of impermeable barrier such as an impermeable stratum or fault zone. Examples of low-permeability seals that contain the hydrocarbons, oil and gas, in the ground include shale , limestone , sandstone , and rock salt. The actual type of stratum does not matter as long as it has low permeability. Water, minerals and specific rock strata such as limestone found inside anticlines are also extracted and commercialized. Lastly, ancient fossils are often found in anticlines and are used for paleontological research or harvested into products to be sold. Ghawar Anticline, Saudi Arabia,

980-609: The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi recorded the sighting of an Arabian caracal by camera trap in Jebel Hafeet National Park, the first such sighting in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since 1984. In March, a Blanford's fox was observed using the same technique, after an absence of about 17 years. At the foothills of the mountain, near Mezyad, 500 beehive tombs were excavated that dated to an area named after

1029-502: The anticline would typically be west verging. This indicates that the Jabal Hafit anticline formed due to a backthrust ( antithetic fault ), and is a fault-propagation fold . Within the eroded core of the anticline , at the Green Mubazzarah Park, are hot springs with temperatures of around 40 °C (104 °F). There is no volcanic activity in the area, therefore the water is being heated geothermally. Meteoric water

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1078-459: The structural trap for the largest conventional oil field in the world. The Weald–Artois Anticline is a major anticline which outcrops in southeast England and northern France. It was formed from the late Oligocene to middle Miocene , during the Alpine orogeny . Anticlines can have a major effect on the local geomorphology and economy of the regions in which they occur. One example of this

1127-616: The Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and one of the highest mountains in the country , it has given its name to a period in UAE history, the Hafit Period of the Bronze Age (3200 to 2600 BCE), because of the discovery of a cluster of important beehive tombs at its foothills. As of 2017, the mountain is recognised as being part of a national park, and was incorporated into the Sheikh Zayed Network of Protected Areas in 2018. Jebel Hafeet has

1176-496: The Hafit Graves, Mezyad Fort , and related oases. Its aim was to preserve and restore the fauna, flora , natural environment, and geology of the place, but at the same time, to attract tourists so that they can learn about the area. The mountain is home to endangered species of flora and fauna, particularly at Wadi Tarabat. 170 plant species have been documented from Jebel Hafeet and this accounts for over 40 per cent of

1225-485: The Hafit structure developed during the late Oligocene to early–middle Miocene . The mountain rises 1,100–1,400 m (3,600–4,600 ft), and offers a view over Al-Ain. Jebel Hafeet was a well-known landmark throughout the area's history, and is a contemporary tourist attraction. An extensive natural cave system winds through Jabal Hafeet. Jebel Hafeet is crossed by a system of caves, some of which have been explored to

1274-399: The different types of rock within each layer. During the formation of flexural-slip folds, the different rock layers form parallel-slip folds to accommodate for buckling . A good way to visualize how the multiple layers are manipulated, is to bend a deck of cards and to imagine each card as a layer of rock stratum. The amount of slip on each side of the anticline increases from the hinge to

1323-471: The early development of agriculture for five millennia, up until the present day. Pottery finds at Hafit period sites demonstrate trading links to Mesopotamia, contiguous to the Jemdat Nasr period (3100 – 2900 B.C.). Evidence of trading links with Mesopotamia are also found in the subsequent Umm Al Nar and Wadi Suq periods of UAE history. Finds have shown that locally manufactured pottery emerged during

1372-401: The fault including both shortening and extension of tectonic plates, usually also deforms strata near the fault. This can result in an asymmetrical or overturned fold. An antiform can be used to describe any fold that is convex up. It is the relative ages of the rock strata that distinguish anticlines from antiforms. The hinge of an anticline refers to the location where the curvature

1421-548: The fold is a "tight" fold . If an anticline plunges (i.e., the anticline crest is inclined to the Earth's surface), it will form V s on a geologic map view that point in the direction of plunge . A plunging anticline has a hinge that is not parallel to the earth's surface. All anticlines and synclines have some degree of plunge. Periclinal folds are a type of anticlines that have a well-defined, but curved hinge line and are doubly plunging and thus elongate domes . Folds in which

1470-408: The hinge of each layer of rock stratum through the cross section of an anticline. If the axial surface is vertical and the angles on each side of the fold are equivalent, then the anticline is symmetrical. If the axial plane is tilted or offset, then the anticline is asymmetrical. An anticline that is cylindrical has a well-defined axial surface, whereas non-cylindrical anticlines are too complex to have

1519-433: The hinge or crest is the location where the curvature is greatest, and the limbs are the sides of the fold that dip away from the hinge. Anticlines can be recognized and differentiated from antiforms by a sequence of rock layers that become progressively older toward the center of the fold. Therefore, if age relationships between various rock strata are unknown, the term antiform should be used. The progressing age of

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1568-400: The inflection point. Passive-flow folds form when the rock is so soft that it behaves like weak plastic and slowly flows. In this process different parts of the rock body move at different rates causing shear stress to gradually shift from layer to layer. There is no mechanical contrast between layers in this type of fold. Passive-flow folds are extremely dependent on the rock composition of

1617-428: The inner crust can have large effects on the upper rock stratum. Stresses developed during mountain building or during other tectonic processes can similarly warp or bend bedding and foliation (or other planar features). The more the underlying fault is tectonically uplifted, the more the strata will be deformed and must adapt to new shapes. The shape formed will also be very dependent on the properties and cohesion of

1666-657: The inner part of Al-Ain City, two of which have been named and given prominence in literature. One is Al Naqfa Ridge or the Nagfa Ridge ( Arabic : جَبَل ٱلنَّقْفَة , romanized :  Jabal An-Naqfah ), which stretches to Al Ain Oasis in the north, and has a historical fort of the same name nearby. The other is the "Western Ridge" or "West Ridge". The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, built in 1980, extends for 11.7 km (7.3 mi) up

1715-401: The limbs dip toward the hinge and display a more U-like shape are called synclines . They usually flank the sides of anticlines and display opposite characteristics. A syncline's oldest rock strata are in its outer limbs; the rocks become progressively younger toward its hinge. A monocline is a bend in the strata resulting in a local steepening in only one direction of dip. Monoclines have

1764-467: The main part of Jebel Hafit toward Al Ain each harbour groups of Hafit tombs. Finds at Jebel Hafit include the remains of some 317 circular stone tombs and settlements from the Hafit period, as well as wells and partially underground falaj irrigation systems, as well as mud brick constructions intended for a range of defensive, domestic and economic purposes. The Al Ain Oasis , in particular, provides evidence of construction and water management enabling

1813-401: The mountain, rising 1,200 m (3,900 ft). With 60 turns and three lanes (two climbing and one descending), the road was called the greatest driving road in the world by Edmunds.com . The road scales the mountain and ends at a parking lot with a hotel and a palace belonging to the country's rulers. The road was built by Strabag International of Cologne , Germany. Hafeet Mountain Road

1862-542: The mountain, the Hafit period of the early Bronze Age, between 3200 and 2600 BC. These tombs were firstly discovered in 1950. Later excavations by Danish archaeologists in 1959 found evidence for ceramic vessels and copper artifacts in these tombs. While the graves on the north side have been partially destroyed by construction projects, the southern tombs are preserved. Some of the tombs contain skeletons, some of which are adorned with bronze objects and pearls. Other objects found in

1911-408: The mountain, there is a military communications outpost and a hotel operated by French hospitality company Mercure , as well as a palace. Other notes: Anticline In structural geology , an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex up in which

1960-612: The rich diversity of microorganisms. This area also contains remains of fossils and ancient plants from the Jurassic period that are sometimes exposed through geological erosion. The Ventura Anticline is a geologic structure that is part of the Ventura oil fields , the seventh largest oil field in California that was discovered in the 1860s. The anticline runs east to west for 16 miles, dipping steeply 30–60 degrees at both ends. Ventura County has

2009-427: The rock strata towards the core and uplifted center, are the trademark indications for evidence of anticlines on a geologic map . These formations occur because anticlinal ridges typically develop above thrust faults during crustal deformations. The uplifted core of the fold causes compression of strata that preferentially erodes to a deeper stratigraphic level relative to the topographically lower flanks. Motion along

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2058-567: The shape of a carpet draped over a stairstep. An anticline that has been more deeply eroded in the center is called a breached or scalped anticline . Breached anticlines can become incised by stream erosion, forming an anticlinal valley. A structure that plunges in all directions to form a circular or elongate structure is a dome . Domes may be created via diapirism from underlying magmatic intrusions or upwardly mobile, mechanically ductile material such as rock salt ( salt dome ) and shale (shale diapir) that cause deformations and uplift in

2107-408: The stratum and can typically occur in areas with high temperatures. Anticlines, structural domes, fault zones and stratigraphic traps are very favorable locations for oil and natural gas drilling. About 80 percent of the world's petroleum has been found in anticlinal traps. The low density of petroleum causes oil to buoyantly migrate out of its source rock and upward toward the surface until it

2156-505: The surface rock. The Richat Structure of the Sahara is considered a dome that has been laid bare by erosion. An anticline which plunges at both ends is termed a doubly plunging anticline , and may be formed from multiple deformations, or superposition of two sets of folds. It may also be related to the geometry of the underlying detachment fault and the varying amount of displacement along the surface of that detachment fault. An anticlinorium

2205-419: The surrounding plains. The mountain consists of shallow marine sedimentary rocks , which includes limestone , marl , and evaporites . These layers contain many fossils which includes corals , foraminifera , and bryozoa . Fossils indicate that the sedimentary rocks exposed at the surface range from early Eocene to early Miocene in age, younging from the mountains core to its flanks. This structure

2254-587: The tombs include ceramics from Mesopotamia , and other artifacts from ancient Iran and the Indus Valley of present-day India and Pakistan, to trading relationships in antiquity. Because of its exceptional archaeological and historical value, in 1993, the "Desert Park and the tombs" (which includes the Jebel Hafeet) was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as the "Cultural Sites of Al Ain: Hafit, Hili , Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas". Also nearby

2303-577: The top of Jebel Hafeet is a fixed location of the UAE Tour . For the 2020 edition the mountain was visited twice. The first ascent was won by eventual Tour winner Adam Yates , and during stage 5, which wound up being the final stage of the race due to concerns about the coronavirus, Team UAE's promising young rider Tadej Pogačar won the stage. The mountain is part of a national or desert park, which can be called "Jebel Hafeet National Park", "Jebel Hafit Desert Park" or " Mezyad Desert Park". It includes

2352-444: The total plant species recorded in the emirate. On the mountain has been observed the yellow bloom of Acridocarpus orientalis . Numerous other plants have been seen around caves in the mountain. The mountain’s largest wadi, Wadi Tarabat, is alone home to around 95 species of plants, including Christ’s thorn, Ziziphus spina-christi , which was historically used for building, food and herbal medicine. The caves of Jebel Hafeet are

2401-645: The transitional period between the Hafit and Umm Al Nar periods, approximately 2800 to 2700 BCE It is now thought the transition between the two cultural periods is marked by a decline in links between Southeastern Arabia and Mesopotamia, a pattern that would be repeated, albeit more emphatically, in the transitional period between the Umm Al Nar and Wadi Suq cultures. Jebel Hafeet Desert Park Jabal Hafeet ( Arabic : جَبَل حَفِيْت , romanized :  Jabal Ḥafīt , "Mount Hafeet"; variously transcribed Jabel or Jebal and Hafit – literally "empty mountain")

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