Active Tectonics and analog modeling of eastern Alborz and Kopeh Dagh

Executor of project: Dr. Morteza Talebian
2016 

The Iranian plateau, located between the two Arabian and Eurasian plates, is taking up about 22 mm/y annual shortening along the north-south direction. The central Iran is relatively rigid, so the most deformation occurs in the Zagros, Alborz and Kopeh Dagh. The combination of geological, geodetic and analog modeling in the north-east and east of Iran can clarify the history of the region's evolution. A general model for investigating the effect of right-lateral faults in the east of Iran, based on focal mechanism of Alborz-Binalood earthquakes, and the shortening of this section along with the rotational of the blocks has been investigated. The displacement values obtained from the geological investigations and rates obtained from the geodetic network of the country are used as inputs of the model. In the first model, limits of the blocks are defined based on trace of active faults and restoration of their total displacement. In other means they are returned to the state of pre-deformation in the model. In the subsequent movement of the device and the right movement of the faults of the east of Iran, the left-lateral movement along the Doruneh fault zone and uplifting of  Binalud mountains are observed. When faults were created in this area due to the displacement along the right lateral fault of the Ashkabad and the left lateral movement along Caspian fault, the Kopeh Dagh block moves towards the Caspian. Also, according to the direction of motion obtained from the model, it is possible to observe the amount of rotation and motion of the blocks in relation to each other.
The second model was used to determine the rotational velocity of the north part of the Lut block due to the right movement along the faults the east of Iran's faults. Due to the rigidity of the Afghan block, northward movement of central Iran can cause shear stress in the east of Iran which in order causes the right lateral offset of faults in east of Iran. In this model, we put the blocks in the present state and they were returned to the pre-deformation state due to stretching.