 Ophiolite

An exposed, complete or dismembered association interpreted as a section of former oceanic crust and upper mantle. Its construction and emplacement histories require separate constraints.

Ophiolite is a geologic term that refers to a specific type of rock assemblage that represents oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle that has been uplifted and exposed above sea level, typically due to tectonic processes. Ophiolites are important in the study of plate tectonics and the formation of the Earth’s crust.