Introduction. The history of the Upper Kama potassium salt deposit (VKMKS) exploration and operation should be divided into two periods. The first period lasted from 1929, the start of exploitation, until 1986, when the water-protective barrier collapsed and the largest VKMKS mine, the 3rd Berezniki mine, was flooded. The second period began in 1986 and continues to the present day. The first period is characterized by a low level of technogenic load on the geological environment, significantly less than its long-term strength. After 60 years of VKMKS large-scale exploitation, the technogenic load on the geologic environment has increased significantly. As a result, its equilibrium state was upset, giving rise to destruction, accompanied by various dynamic events: caves-in, surface collapses, rockbursts, and tectonic rockbursts. VKMKS structural-tectonic profile study revealed that active faults, nodal structures, and fracture zones have a decisive effect on the geologic environment equilibrium state. Research methodology. When structural and tectonic elements are formed in the supra-salt, salt, and subsalt strata of the deposit, the geologic environment density characteristic changes naturally leading to the development of local density inhomogeneities within. It is possible to locate these inhomogeneities and establish their relationship with structural and tectonic elements of the geological environment, particularly, fractured zones, only by studying the gravity field of the deposit. For this purpose, an areawide, detailed, and high-precision gravimetric survey was performed at a scale of 1:25,000, the results of which were used to identify and study the fracture zones. Research results. Based on the results of gravity field anomalies interpretation on the territory of VKMKS, the horizontal position and size of about 200 local negative linear anomalies of the near northsouth, north-east, and north-west orientations were determined, the sources of which were confidently identified with the fracture zones. Conclusions. The experience of studying the structural and tectonic structure of VKMKS has shown that currently for the deposit’s physical and geological conditions, the detailed, high-precision aerial gravity study is the most effective geophysical method for fracture zones mapping
Generalizing the results of fracture zones study in the Upper Kama potassium salt deposit with the help of gravity study