Assessment the relationship between geometry and fault mechanism whit geomorphic index of active tectonic in west Alborz region

Subject Areas : Geomorphology

Ahmad Ali Zare Mehrjardi ¹ ( Faculty member of Darolelam Educational Institute, Yazd|Retired assistant professor of agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Yazd, Iran )

Received: 2022-01-27 Accepted : 2022-08-05 Published : 2022-10-01

Keywords: active tectonics, Western Alborz, morphotectonics indicators, deformation pattern, tectonic structures,

Abstract :

Background and objective: The movement of the earth's crust is one of the critical factors in the shaping of landscapes, so the effect of these movements on geomorphology and its related consequences can be identified by studying morphotectonics indicators. This study aimed to investigate the tectonic mobility, deformation pattern, and fault geometry of the Western Alborz zone in Iran.Materials and methods: In this study, types of morphotectonics indicators such as sinuosity of the mountain front (Smf), river gradient (Sl), valley width to depth (Vf), asymmetry of waterways (Af), and hypsometric curves in thirty watersheds using topographic maps and satellite images were studied. The basins were classified into three categories: active, median, and inactive, and the status of the network of waterways and alluvial terraces, closely related to tectonics, were evaluated.Results and conclusion:The results showed that the tectonic regime prevailing in this area is a compression type. Thirteen watersheds are active, fourteen are moderately active, and the rest are inactive. This conclusion was reached by combining all the data. Some faults are inclined towards the south and others towards the north. The main faults are mainly reverse type in all sections.

References:

Adams, J. (1980). Active tilting of the United States midcontinent: Geodetic and geomorphic evidence. Geology, 8(9), 442-446. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1980)8%3C442:ATOTUS%3E2.0.CO;2

Ambraseys, N. N., & Douglas, J. (2004). Magnitude calibration of north Indian earthquakes. Geophysical Journal International, 159(1), 165-206. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2004.02323.x 

Angelier, J. (1979). Determination of the mean principal directions of stresses for a given fault population. Tectonophysics, 56(3-4), T17-T26.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(79)90081-7 

Berberian, M. (1983). The southern Caspian: a compressional depression floored by a trapped, modified oceanic crust. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 20(2), 163-183. https://doi.org/10.1139/e83-015 

Bishop, P. (1982). Stability or change: a review of ideas on ancient drainage in eastern New South Wales. Australian Geographer, 15(4), 219-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049188208702820 

Bott, M. H. P. (1959). The mechanics of oblique slip faulting. Geological magazine, 96(2), 109-117. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756800059987 

Bull, W. B. (1978). Geomorphic tectonic activity classes of the south front of the San Gabriel Mountains, California: US Geological Survey Contract Report 14-08-001-G-394, Office of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Engineering.

Gao, L., & Wallace, T. C. (1995). The 1990 Rudbar‐Tarom Iranian earthquake sequence: Evidence for slip partitioning. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 100(B8), 15317-15332. https://doi.org/10.1029/95JB00320 

Ghane Ezabadi, N., Azhdar, S., & Jamali, A. A. (2021). Analysis of dust changes using satellite images in Giovanni NASA and Sentinel in Google Earth Engine in western Iran. Journal of Nature and Spatial Sciences (JONASS), 1(1), 17-26.

Gillard, D., & Wyss, M. (1995). Comparison of strain and stress tensor orientation: application to Iran and southern California. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 100(B11), 22197-22213. https://doi.org/10.1029/95JB01871 

Han, M., (1985). Tectonic geomorphology and its application to earthquake prediction in China: Tectonic Geomorpholgy (Eited by Morisaia, Mand Hack.J.T) Unwinhyman, 36438 p.

Howard, A. D. (1967). Drainage analysis in geologic interpretation: a summation. AAPG bulletin, 51(11), 2246-2259. https://doi.org/10.1306/5D25C26D-16C1-11D7-8645000102C1865D

Jamali, A. A., Kalkhajeh, R. G., Randhir, T. O., & He, S. (2022). Modeling relationship between land surface temperature anomaly and environmental factors using GEE and Giovanni. Journal of Environmental Management, 302, 113970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113970

Jamali, A. A., Tabatabaee, R., & Randhir, T. O. (2021). Ecotourism and socioeconomic strategies for Khansar River watershed of Iran. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(11), 17077-17093. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01334-y

Jamali, A. A., Naeeni, M. A. M., & Zarei, G. (2020). Assessing the expansion of saline lands through vegetation and wetland loss using remote sensing and GIS. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 20, 100428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2020.100428 

Keller, E. A. (1986). Investigation of active tectonics: use of surficial earth processes. Active tectonics, 1, 136-147.

Leeder, M. R., Seger, M. J., & Stark, C. P. (1991). Sedimentation and tectonic geomorphology adjacent to major active and inactive normal faults, southern Greece. Journal of the Geological Society, 148(2), 331-343. https://doi.org/10.1144/gsjgs.148.2.0331 

Masoumi, H., Jamali, A. A., & Khabazi, M. (2014). Investigation of role of slope, aspect and geological formations of landslide occurrence using statistical methods and GIS in some watersheds in Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province. J. Appl. Environ. Biol. Sci, 4(9), 121-129.

Schroeder, J. H., & Purser, B. H. (1986). Reef diagenesis: introduction. In Reef diagenesis (pp. 1-5). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-82812-6

Schumm, S. A. (1985). Alluvial response to active tectonics: Active Tectonics.

Strahler, A. N. (1952). Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Geological society of America bulletin, 63(11), 1117-1142. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1952)63[1117:HAAOET]2.0.CO;2 ,

Summerfield, M.A., (1991). Tectonics and drainage development: Global Geomorphology (edited by Summerfield, M.A.) Longman Singapore Publishers (pte) Ltd.

Tabassi, H., & Bahauddini, S. (2022). Deformation and movement of Qom, Alborz and Kushk-e Nosrat fault zones in the northern part of Qom. Bulletin of Earthquake Science and Engineering, 8(4), 17-27.

Tatar , M . (1999) , Mecanismes au de L'Alborz.

Verstappen, H. Th., 1972. Geomorphology, In: Veldock Voor Land en Water deskundigen. Publ. I. L. R. I: C. 1-16.

Wallace, R. E. (1951). Geometry of shearing stress and relation to faulting. The Journal of geology, 59(2), 118-130. https://doi.org/10.1086/625831