A full-3D balanced restoration technique is used to estimate the fracturation of a deformed sedimentary layer using a Geochron parametric representation of the ante-deformed geological structure. The displacements and the strains which have affected the geological formation are computed assuming small deformations and using the elastic solid theory of continuous media. In simple cases such as thin plates, this new approach is in agreement with results predicted by the theory. Strain tensor invariants (dilatation coefficient, principal strains, etc.) coupled with mechanical properties of rock types are used to characterize the distribution of fracture orientations. It also gives useful strain parameters that can be related to the observed faults. This general theoretical framework provides solutions to complex problems such as the determination of strains resulting from tectonic events and for predicting faulted zones in reservoirs. The method is applied on the Split Mountain Anticline Case Study (Utah, USA), a natural outcropped clastic reservoir. Observed fractures on the field are in good agreement with the ones predicted from the proposed restoration methodology. The final goal of this research is to improve oil and gas recovery in fractured reservoirs by a better estimation of the permeability tensor.