ABSTRACT: Ouachita Mountain Thrust Front: An Integrated Approach to Prospect Analysis in Thrust Belts

Rebecca L. Dodge, Mary Anne Keeling, Dan Cassiani

The thrust front of the Ouachita Mountains in western Arkansas is defined by the prominent asymmetric Washburn anticline. Previously interpreted as a complexly thrust-faulted anticline, the feature has been reinterpreted as a delta or triangle structure based on integration of surface mapping from thematic mapper (TM) data with subsurface interpretation of seismic and well-log cross sections. The northern limb of the Washburn anticline consists of a relatively unfaulted, steeply north-dipping sheet above a major north-dipping backthrust. The southern limb consists of several steeply south-dipping thrust sheets that form a duplex zone in the center of the delta structure. Seismic and well-log interpretations suggested the presence of the imbrication in the core of the stru ture, but poor seismic resolution within the structure made interpretation of the backthrust and duplex geometry difficult. Surface mapping from TM imagery indicates the presence of the backthrust and the extent and geometry of the delta structure. Thrust sheets and horses also crop out, and their geometry is a guide to interpretation of subsurface data sets.

The new model of the Ouachita thrust front as a delta structure has aided in subsurface data analysis and has resulted in a better understanding of trap geometry and distribution. This study also demonstrates the application of detailed surface mapping from satellite remote-sensing data to prospect-scale analysis.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91003©1990 AAPG Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, June 3-6, 1990