Lineament mapping for a part of the Central Sulaiman Fold\u2013Thrust Belt (SFTB), Pakistan

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the lineaments using the field data and a remote sensing approach, to describe their relationship with the folds, faults, and regional tectonic stress of the central Sulaiman Fold-Thrust Belt. Joint data, from nine anticlines, has been collected using the scanline method and classified into three sets (JS1, JS2, and JS3) based on their geometrical relationships. Lineaments extracted from the 30 m digital elevation model have been classified subsequently into three lineament sets (LS1, LS2, and LS3) based on the azimuths from the corresponding joint sets. A very high correlation coefficient (rs = 0.97), between the azimuths of the field joints and the remotely sensed lineaments, has been observed which validates that the lineaments are the regional representation of the local field joints. The geometrical relationship of the lineament sets with the fold hinges indicates that the older LS1 and LS2 are strongly related to the regional folding episode, while the younger LS3 is a result of local shears. The chronological interpretation of the deformational events responsible for the lineament sets is constrained by the presence of the Kingri Fault, which induces a strike-slip component within the study area. Furthermore, the controls on the joint and lineament sets, established using multivariate statistics to decipher the effects of lithological and structural contrasts on the lineament density, reveal that an increase in the lineament density can be attributed to the competence and thickness of the rock units as well as the variable local stresses across the different folds. Based on the orientations of these lineament sets, the cumulative direction of the compressive event in the NW-SE direction (310–320) coincides with the regional stress direction of the SFTB.