S Alimardan; Sh Solaymani Azad; M Ghorashi; M.R Ghorashi; B Oveisi; A Hatami
Abstract
Due to urban population growth in recent decades and the need for decentralization of cities with limited facilities and increasing marginalization in the larger cities, construction of new cities around large towns has been considered by decision makers to develop a plan to create new cities around ...
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Due to urban population growth in recent decades and the need for decentralization of cities with limited facilities and increasing marginalization in the larger cities, construction of new cities around large towns has been considered by decision makers to develop a plan to create new cities around these towns. One of the most important parameters for the construction of new population centers is seismotectonic studies. Hashtgerd New Town in southern slopes of the Alborz (located 65 km northwest of Tehran) is located on the uplifted deposits of the Plio-Quaternary. Vertical tectonic movements in the range caused the height difference of about 300 m between Hashtgerd and its southern plain elevations. Due to the emplacement of the city on the uplifted Plio-Quaternary deposits, and the lack of information about the causative active fault in this region, an attempt has been made to investigate the morphotectonic characteristics of the area on the basis of survey satellite image, aerial photo, digital elevation model, and field observations. In the present study, an active fault zones with NW-SE trends has been identified with oblique-slip movements (compression with left-lateral strike-slip component). The N-NE stress direction, in regards to the abovementioned trend is oblique, and hence, the result could be a transpressional regime for the area. Recognition of mentioned active faults is very important for earthquake hazard assessment studies for the new town.
