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7th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition
Manama, Bahrain
March 27-29, 2006
Fracture
Patterns in the Front Range of Northern Oman Mountains
University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, phone: 00447909592958, [email protected]
The front range of northern Oman Mountains (Salakh-Arch) consists of five doubly-plunging anticlines that collectively
extend for 75km. It forms an excellent structural and stratigraphical analogue for hydrocarbon fields and the area can be a
host for hydrocarbon accumulations. Comprehensive field work and seismic interpretation were conducted to evaluate the
structural style and
fracture
patterns in the Arch. Measurements from seismic data show detaching folds along the salt. The
results from
fracture
mapping show variable orientations through the Arch. Fractures mainly trend parallel and
perpendicular to fold axes indicating that they are genetically related to the folding process. Static geometrical analyses
using 3DMove of Jebel Qusaibah, the western anticline of the Arch, were compared to robust
fracture
field data from Natih-
A in the Jebel to evaluate their significance to
fracture
orientation, density and aperture. Finite dip, Simple and Gaussian
curvature analyses show strong relation to
fracture
density and Cylindricity Deviation influences the main
fracture
orientations particularly in the SE corner of the anticline. 3D restoration using 3DMove of the fold and bounding faults show
strain concentration in the backlimb and eastern plunge respectively, and considered responsible for the E-W and NE-shear
fractures in these areas. The
fracture
patterns are generally explored using a faulted detachment-fold model.
Analytical solutions and numerical methods indicate that the fold developed as a wide wavelength and as the shortening
proceeded, the hinge narrows and limbs' length and dip increase by the inward propagation and rotation of the inner axial
surfaces. Generally, results show that fractures are mainly induced by layer-parallel shortening and outer arc extension.
However, local fold-related strains at different stages of fold evolution have formed various
fracture
sets and commonly
altered the type and orientation of dominant sets.