Interpretation and visualization of thrust sheets in a triangle zone in eastern Potwar, Pakistan

Abstract

Triangle zone plays are common in the Potwar area of Pakistan. The Potwar Basin (Figure 1) is one of the oldest oil provinces. It is located in the western foothills of the Himalayas in northern Pakistan. It includes the Potwar Plateau, the Salt Range, and the Jhelum Plain. The Khairi Murat thrust-Dhurnal backthrust triangle zone in the northern Potwar deformed zone (NPDZ) and the Joya Mair triangle zone in the southern Potwar platform zone (SPPZ) are also well documented today. These tectonic settings hold several billion barrels of reserves, and significant amounts of hydrocarbons are being produced. We interpreted the Domeli-Dil Jabba triangle zone geometry which is the result of Tertiary Himalayan collision between Indian and Eurasian plates. The thrust and backthrust phases in the eastern Potwar are the result of a northwest-southeast Himalayan compression. This is the regional triangle zone in the eastern edge of Potwar which is the result of large, regionally extensive convergent thrust sheets.