This revised version of the manuscript shows an improved organization of the text. Main weakness about explaining the importance of the paper and its scientific significance for the Solid Earth audience has been solved. However, there are still a few points that need further details or should be considered.
1) I do not see too much improvement about describing solid bitumen data. Still there are only four lines for presenting original data and this seems to me too little when compared with fluid inclusion and thermochronology chapters. As solid bitumen data are important for calibrating burial history, I guess that readers would expect some more details.
2) In this manuscript, solid bitumen data are from different stratigraphic units (Sahtan Group, Kharaib Fm., Shu’aiba Fm., Nahr Umr Fm., Natih Fm., Muti Fm.) that cover a long time span from Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. Authors should present their calibrated thermal maturity curve fitting solid bitumen data associated to the 1D burial and thermal models. Using the thermal maturity curves by Grobe et al., 2016 that account only for solid bitumen data from the Natih Formation without implementing them with the new data is a missed opportunity to improve and strenghten the model.
3) I agree with the authors that extensional top-to-NNE shearing might explain that most of the ophiolite units could have been transferred to the Persian Gulf but the southern flank of the Jebel Akhdar dome is also bounded by SW-dipping listric normal faults (see Searle, 2007) that are coeval to extensional top-to-NNE shearing and downthrow ophiolite and Hawasina units against shelf carbonates. Where has all the material coming from the dismantling of 8-10km thick ophiolite overburden gone to the south of Jebel Akhdar dome?
4) I have already commented part of the discussion in my previous report and the arguments provided in this revision are still questionable.
Lines 580-584. Organic matter is more sensitive to temperature changes than clay mineralogy only in hydrothermal/geothermal settings or when the heating event is shorter than 1-2Ma. The burial of the sedimentary succession below the ophiolite (88 to 80 Ma) or the temperature increase prior to exhumation are not the cases. For instance, in the models shown, temperature is higher than 300°C for upper Jurassic rocks from roughly 60 Ma to 50 Ma that is quite long time interval to let both organic and inorganic thermal indicators recording that thermal event.
Also the lack of potassium during the evolution of mixed layered minerals cannot be considered as an explanation for the discrepancy between solid bitumen and clay mineral results because carbonate and siliciclastic rocks of similar stratigraphic ages in Aldega et al, 2017 show similar illite content in mixed layers I-S.
Lines 586-590. I think that apatite fission track (AFT) data by Saddiqui et al. (2006) could have been misinterpreted. AFT data by Saddiqui et al. (2006) from Vendian and Ordovician rocks (sample 8 and 9) have a reset age of 48 and 55 Ma respectively. This means that Vendian and Ordovician rocks should have passed the isotherms 110-120°C of the AFT system (Gleadow and Duddy, 1981) during exhumation at that time and therefore the temperature of the overlying rocks (from upper Jurassic to the Natih Fm) has to be lower than that. During 55 to 48 Ma, most of the burial curves of the 1D models shown in figure 8 intercepts red or green coloured fields indicating that temperature is between 200 and 300°C higher than the reset temperature of the AFT system. Furthermore maximum temperatures experienced by Jurassic rocks in your model are close to or higher than 300°C indicating metamorphic conditions but outcropping rocks are clearly sedimentary. Some clarification is needed.
5) figure and tables needs some revision (see points line by line below)
Abstract
Lines 18-19. I would delete these two lines.
Lines 21-23. Please state what is the main factor responsible for peak temperature evolution of passive margin units. Obduction? Heat advection?
Introduction
Line 56 – time-temperature history of what? Better specify
Tectonic setting
Line 126. Replace “constrains” with “constraints”
Stratigraphic sequence
Line 162-163 – Please provide a more detailed description of the Hawasina deposits. Many ZHe ages and some data for deriving peak temperatures for the southern flank of the Jebel Akhdar dome come from Hawasina deposits. Which unit and formation did you analyze? Which lithology?
Previous paleothermal data of the authocton
Line 179. Locate “Al Hamra” in figure 1
Line 187. Replace “shows” with “show”
Fluid inclusion thermometry
Line 246- Are FI-M1 and 2 quartz or calcite veins? Authors report both compositions in the text. In table 3 the hosting mineral is quartz. Please check it.
Line 255- delete “sedimentary” before “Hawasina nappe” and “°” before “km”
Numerical basin modeling
Line 298 – What do you mean for “The south of the foothills is unaffected by foredeep”? I would suggest to replace the sentence as follows if it is consistent with authors’ thought: “The area to the south of the Adam foothills is unaffected by foredeep sedimentation”
Actually for this area, available paleothermal data are from the Fahud and Natih fields. Please modify the sentence.
Basin modeling
Line 466- replace “at least 4-4.5 km” with “maximum 4 km”. Figure 9a and figure 10a should be corrected setting temperature at 140°C for the Jebel Qusaybah area and Ro% at 1.1. For the Jebel Qusaybah area, only data from Mozafari et al., 2015 are available.
Lines 503-504- provide reference
Burial history
Line 529- How can petrographical data constrain the thickness of sedimentary units? I would replace “petrographical” with “geological”
Lines 533-535. Replace “at least 4 to 4.5 km” with “maximum 4 km”. See comment above.
Line 542- Replace “was achieved” with “are available”
Line 555-556. Expand this part. Readers cannot be aware of models by Lutz et al. (2004)
Line 560. Pressure value of 320 MPa calculated from 10 km thick ophiolite units is different from that reported in table 3 (340 MPa). Please revise
Line 564-565. What is the mechanism or process that favours the temperature increase prior to exhumation? Heat advection? I would not talk about thermal equilibration. From your 1D models the temperature increase between maximum burial and exhumation is more than 100°C. Please discuss and provide further details. Furthermore replace “uplift” with “exhumation”.
Line 575. Replace “mixed illite-smectite layers” with “mixed layers illite-smectite”
Line 582. Quantify “burial was short enough” using your modelling results.
Line 592 -64 ± 4 Ma does not mark the time of deepest burial. Please revise.
Exhumation history
Line 649 – replace “has seen” with “experienced”
Conclusions
Line 695 – is 300°C a burial temperature due to ophiolite obduction or a peak temperature prior to exhumation?
Figures and tables
Figure 2. Replace “white circles” with “black circle” in the figure caption
Figure 3. Delete “*” and “+” in front of authors’ names in the figure caption. Please enlarge the peak temperature interval of figure 3 in order to contain the error bar of the Fiqa/Muti Fm.
Figure 5. Authors could plot also the data for the Natih and Muti Fms. showing the pressure correction needed.
Figure 9a and figure 10 a – The grey area for temperature constraints should be a single line set at 140°C as only 1.1 Vr% value (Mozafari et al., 2015) is available for the Jebel Qusaybah area. Modify the text accordingly.
Figure 9c. The grey area for temperature constraints should be between 289±3 °C (see table 1)
Figure 10c. Grey area derived from calculated VR values (6.69%) is missing in figure 10c (see table 1).
Figure 11. Please add temperature and vitrinite-equivalent ranges to the figure intercepting the degree of serpentinization and heat flow variations lines.
Figure 12. delete in the figure caption “* indicate times of overpressure formation”
Table 1. Replace “mean Temp.” in the last column with “temperature range” as you do not always provide a mean value. Please provide a range of calculated Vr values when they are associated to a temperature range. Why did not you convert bitumen reflectance data by Fink et al., 2015 into calculated Vr values and then into a temperature range? One data is between brackets. Why? Define it in the figure caption. Peak temperature ranges for the the northern flank of Jebel Akhdar dome in figure 3 are different from those reported in table 1 where a mean value is shown, Please modify values of table 1 accordingly.
Delete “measured at RWTH” from the reference by Mozafari et al., 2015.
Table 3. Please replace “sedimentary nappe” with “sedimentary units” or “tectonic units” in the figure caption. A Nappe has a tectonic origin and cannot be associated to sedimentation |