Fracturing above a Salt Diapir at Jebel Madar, Oman; the Result of Both Regional and Local Stress Fields

M.C. Stehle¹, J. Cosgrove¹, and C.M. John¹

Abstract

Triassic to Cretaceous carbonate formations at Jebel Madar, Oman form the exposed and deformed beds overlying a salt diapir. They contain a fracture network that reflects burial and exhumation in addition to the impact of regional tectonics and the local salt intrusion. Properties of fracture networks in the layers overlying salt diapirs in reservoir settings are crucial for the production of oil and gas and also for the storage of carbon dioxide. To a certain extent, these properties are controlled by the fracture orientation and the chronology in which the different fracture sets making up the network are superimposed.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90188 ©GEO-2014, 11th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, 10-12 March 2014, Manama, Bahrain