Analysis of lineaments within the Wajid Group, SW Saudi Arabia, and their tectonic significance

Abstract

The Wajid Group is a Cambro-Permian sedimentary succession in southwest Saudi Arabia. This group is a well-known 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 tectonic 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’ Al-Khali Basin.