The Washita Valley fault zone is one of the major northwest-trending structures in southern Oklahoma. This fault system is believed to have originated as a series of normal faults during the formation of the southern Oklahoma aulacogen by late Precambrian or early Cambrian time and to have been reactivated during the Arbuckle orogeny in the Pennsylvanian. Descriptions of movement along the Washita Valley fault zone during Pennsylvanian deformation include numerous interpretations, the most common being left-lateral strike slip with 30-40 mi (50-65 km) of displacement. Structures in the area, however, suggest an alternate model.

A detailed field study of small folds, faults, fracture arrays, slickensides, and drainage patterns was conducted along the southeastern half of the Washita Valley fault zone. An attempt has been made to relate these small-scale features to the major structures in the area to determine the orientation of the major compressive stress during deformation and the relative amounts of strike-slip vs. reverse dip-slip movement along the fault zone.

Exploration for oil and gas along the Washita Valley fault zone has identified several overturned folds and repeated sections. Field observations in the study area include small drag folds and thrust faults parallel to the trend of the Washita Valley fault zone. The two major anticlines in the area, the Arbuckle and the Tishomingo, are both nearly parallel to the trend of the fault zone. These data suggest a model of deformation involving a large component of reverse dip-slip faulting with major duplication of strata.

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