Rejuvenation of The Pre-Cambrien Najd Fault System and Its Importance In The Oil Province of Saudi Arabia

Yıl 2006, Cilt: 132 Sayı: 132, 73 - 82, 01.01.2006

Doğan Perinçek Salih Saner Khattab G. Al

Öz

Structural interpretation
covering the Central Saudi Arabia was carried out through Landsat, Radar images,
topographic maps and seismic data. Existing geology maps provide materialized
evidence for this study. A strong northwest trending lineament system has been mapped
in the region and is interpreted as being rela- ted to the reactivated Najd Fault
System. Elongate hills, strait-going creeks, offset along valley and ridges, and
pull-apart basins are evident, indicating rejuvenation of the Najd transtensional
sinistral movement. Geological map shows evidence indicating a northwestward dragging
on the sedimentary cover along a NW trending regio- nal lineament in the region
which extend from South Ghawar to An Nafud Basin in Saudi Arabia. Northeast trend-
ing structures in Saudi Arabia are related to the pre-Permian structuring and Oman-Masirah
stress regime. The Ghawar (Saudi Arabia), Dukhan (Qatar) and other north-northwest
trending anticlines were reshaped by the reju- venated Najd stress regime. The northwest
trending sinistral Najd Fault was initiated in Precambrian and was reactivated at
various times, probably during Paleozoic and late Jurassic times, and continuously,
though of vari- able intensity, from late Cretaceous to the late Tertiary time.
The Carboniferous, Late Cretaceous and Tertiary events are overprinted on one another
in the region. The Oman stress regime and the stress regime that is rela- ted to
oblique obduction of the Masirah Ophiolite are the principal controlling event for
the anticline structures in Central Arabia. Dominant structural elements of the
area are N-S anticline axis that suggests approximate E-W compressional stress direction,
which is consistent with Oman and reactivated Najd tectonic regimes. The effect
of the Tertiary orogenic overprint of the Oman-Masirah stress regime in eastern
Arabia was to favor a slight renewed movement along the old basement faults such
as the Najd Trend. Reactivated Najd system, Oman prin- cipal horizontal stress regime
and obduction of the Masirah Ophiolite onto the Arabian continent have produced
a combined effect on the structures in Eastern Arabian Plate. The Zagros stress
regime may have produced little effect in the region.

Anahtar Kelimeler

rejuvenation, Najd Fault, Saudi Arabia, Ghawar

Kaynakça

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