Ivan Callegari , Andreas Scharf, Andre Pinto, Frank Mattern, Rajat Mazumder, Heninjara Rarivoarison, Debasmita Datta

In northeastern Oman, within the Neoproterozoic Huqf Supergroup, well-exposed sedimentary formations spanning the Cryogenian to Ediacaran periods, lie beneath the late Palaeozoic "Hercynian Unconformity". These rocks bear the marks of the distant Cadomian Orogeny. Among these, the youngest correspond to the diverse Ediacaran Fara Formation, a member of the Ara Group. Our study extensively examined Fara Formation's lithologies, stratigraphy, and syndepositional deformation features to shed light on the Neoproterozoic geological evolution of eastern Arabia. Through meticulous analysis, several key findings emerged from our investigation: (1)Fara Formation can be categorized into three distinct members (FA1-FA3); (2) while FA1 and FA2 show signs of Cadomian D1 deformation, FA3 conceals these deformed layers with an angular unconformity; (3) the entire Fara Formation is of Ediacaran age, dating back over 538 million years; (4) the volcaniclastic rocks within Fara Formation are geochemically similar to Hormuz´s volcanics from the same period ; (5) carbonates and siliciclastic rocks of FA1 and FA2 formed within a NW-SE striking back-arc basin associated with Cadomian deformation, while FA3's shallow-marine siliciclastic rocks unconformably overlie the latter members, and (6) Fara Formation documents the deepening of a stable carbonate platform, reflecting a major event in the geological history of Eastern Arabia.