Stress and Rock Failure Near Salt Bodies: Insights From Field Observations, Kinematic Modeling, and Mechanical Analysis Near Arches National Park, Paradox Basin, Utah

Abstract Salt's inherent weakness and capacity for ductile deformation create significant mechanical contrasts that locally perturb the stress field in surrounding rocks, often leading to deviations from regional tectonic stresses. Variations in local stress are a critical factor for wellbore stability, seal integrity, and fluid flow in subsurface energy and storage applications. This study investigates paleo stress variations through fracture analysis along the deformed margin of the exhumed Salt Valley salt wall near Arches National Park (Paradox Basin, Utah), where regional tectonic compression drove salt wall amplification and folding and fracturing of the overlying strata. New field and unmanned aerial vehicle fracture data, when integrated with prior fracture‐based studies in the region, suggest a two‐phase deformation history: early, kinematically consistent shear fractures (salt wall amplification‐related), predating later joints (salt dissolution and collapse‐related). Our primary focus is understanding the patterns within the early shear fracture system. We applied a computationally efficient elastic dislocation (ED) modeling approach, constrained by a 3D structural framework model derived from restored cross sections, to simulate the stress response to salt wall amplification under tectonic compression. Both observed and modeled results demonstrate spatially variable local stress states: an extensional regime (vertical maximum stress) above the salt wall roof transitions to a strike‐slip regime (horizontal maximum stress) near the underlying vertical salt wall margin. This consistency substantiates the ED modeling approach for interpreting complex stress states adjacent to salt, offering a valuable tool for refining subsurface structural and geotechnical interpretations without explicitly modeling salt rheology.