Analysis of lineaments within the Wajid Group, SW Saudi Arabia, and their tectonic significance
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Analysis of lineaments within the Wajid Group, SW Saudi Arabia, and their tectonic significance Mohammed Benaafi 1 & Mustafa Hariri 1 & Osman Abdullatif 1 & Mohammed Makkawi 1 & Abdulaziz Al-Shaibani 1
Received: 3 June 2016 / Accepted: 18 January 2017 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2017
Abstract The Wajid Group is a Cambro-Permian sedimentary succession in southwest Saudi Arabia. This group is a wellknown groundwater aquifer in the Wadi Al-Dawasir and Najran areas. The group also represents siliciclastic hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Rub' Al-Khali Basin. The Wajid Group is exposed in an area extending from Wadi Al-Dawasir southward to Najran city. This study aims to map and characterize the lineament traces of the Wajid Group outcrops. Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS satellite images with 30-m resolution, Spot-5 satellite images with 2.5-m resolution and SRTM digital elevation models (DEM) with 30-m resolution were used for lineament trace detection. Those lineament traces supplemented by aeromagnetic lineaments detected from reduced to pole magnetic anomaly map of the studied outcrop. Multi-scale lineament trace maps were generated, and the lineament datasets, including orientation and length, were analyzed statistically. Eight lineament trace trends were identified including NW-SE, NNW-SSE, N-S, NNE-SSW, NE-SW, ENE-WSW, E-W, and WNW-ESE. The northerly, northwesterly, and northeasterly trending lineament traces are predominant. The lineament trace lengths are generally followed the power law distribution. The lineament trace trends were validated through field investigation of the Wajid Group outcrop. The reported outcrop fracture trends are consistent with major lineament trace trends. Lineaments within the Wajid Group outcrop are also consistent with those of the southern portion of the Arabian Shield. The results of this study provide insight into the tec-
* Mohammed Benaafi [email protected]; [email protected]
1
Geosciences Department, College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
tonic origin of the Wajid Group outcrop lineaments, and understanding of the lineaments distribution which can help to predict the fluid flow behavior within the groundwater fractured aquifers or hydrocarbon fractured reservoirs in Rub’ AlKhali Basin. Keywords Wajid Group . Sandstone . Lineaments . Tectonics . Saudi Arabia . Rub' Al-Khali Basin
Introduction Analysis and mapping of lineaments using satellite images, SRTM digital elevation model (DEM), and aeromagnetic anomalies are considered to be important approaches for studying regional geology and tectonics (Nelson 2001). Lineaments are defined as straight or slightly curved surface features of natural origin, interpreted from images and may include straight stream valleys, contrasting tone, straight ridges, and alignment of vegetation (Roy et al. 1993; Ross and Frohlich 1993; Cepeda 1994; Hatcher 1995; Sabin 1997; O’leary et al. 1976; Koike et al. 1998). Lineaments may represent fracture
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