Structural analysis and geological mapping of khawri khwar section and adjacent areas, part of Kala Chitta Range, Nizampur Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The research focuses on structural geological mapping and fracture analysis of part of Kala-Chitta Range, Himalayan foothills, northern Pakistan. The area exhibits complex geological settings characterized by intense deformation with eight litho-stratigraphic units ranging from the Late Jurassic to Paleocene. The outcropping rocks have well recorded imprints of Himalayan deformation and are represented by common east-west trending series of parallel synclines and anticlines. The study area features southward-directed thrust faults caused by north-south compressional stresses, indicating two distinct deformational phases. The internal stress within the basin causes thrust faults and compression. Most of the thrusts are northward dipping fore thrusts. The mesoscopic fracture analysis was conducted at six stations across the study area where fracture sets were nicely developed. The interpretation relied on field observations, orientation diagrams and graphical techniques. The data gathered from field observations were used to measure petrophysical properties including fracture density, fracture porosity and permeability within different formations of the study area. The results of the analysis revealed that most of the fractures are generally NW-SE oriented. The interpretation of fractures set indicates that the principal stress direction (Õ1) is NNW-SSE whereas the minimum stress direction (Õ3) is NEE-SWW.