signature=e975c3af6bff8283575e381fc4000268,Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation | Structure and evolution...

The North Potwar Deformed Zone (NPDZ) is part of the active foreland fold-and-

thrust belt of the Salt Range and Potwar Plateau (SR/PP) in northern Pakistan.

About 500 km of seismic reflection profiles are integrated with surface geologic and

drilling data to examine the structure of the NPDZ, in general, and the history of

deformation of the Dhurnal oil field, in particular. The seismic lines suggest that the

overall structure of the eastern NPDZ is a duplex structure developed beneath a passive

roof thrust. The roof thrust is generated from a tipline in the Murree Formation of

Miocene age, while the sole thrust is initiated from the same Eocambrian evaporite zone

that extends 80 km southward beneath the Soan syncline and Salt Range. The Dhurnal

oil field structure is a pop-up at the southern margin of the NPDZ, developed beneath

the passive roof thrust. The passive roof thrust crops out just north of Dhurnal on the

steep, northern limb of the Soan syncline. An overstep passive roof thrust (Sakhwal

fault) is interpreted west of Dhurnal, which developed due to southward progression of

the deformation front beneath the earlier passive roof thrust.

Very gentle basement dip and almost zero topographic slope in the NPDZ

suggest that the Eocambrian salt provides effective decoupling at the present position of

the NPDZ. The strong deformation in the NPDZ appears to have developed farther

north, in an area where the evaporites may be lacking. Since 2 Ma the NPDZ moved

farther south over the evaporites without any further deformation, while erosion

removed any former topographic slope. Restoring a balanced cross-section suggests

the minimum shortening across the NPDZ is about 69 km. Assuming that this

shortening occurred in the time interval from 5.1 to 2.0 Ma, the shortening rate is 22

mm/yr. This is about 50% of the 40-50 mm/yr convergence rate of the Eurasian and

Indian plates.