Tectonics
Fereshteh Jafari-Hajati; Maryam Agh-Atabai; Majid Nemati; Ali Biglari-Fadafan
Abstract
In this research, to understand the present-day tectonic situation of Gorgan-plain in the east of the South Caspian basin, the tectonic stress regime of this area and its adjacent areas was estimated using the inversion of the data of the earthquake focal mechanisms. For this aim, in addition to analyzing ...
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In this research, to understand the present-day tectonic situation of Gorgan-plain in the east of the South Caspian basin, the tectonic stress regime of this area and its adjacent areas was estimated using the inversion of the data of the earthquake focal mechanisms. For this aim, in addition to analyzing focal mechanisms solved by different sources, the focal mechanisms were solved for several earthquakes with appropriate and sufficient information. The results indicate the presence of various mechanisms, including thrust, normal, and strike-slip, and as a result, various orientations of kinematic P and T axes, which can indicate the complexity of the region. By analyzing the earthquakes with a minimum magnitude of 4 in the Gorgan-plain, the Kopeh-Dagh in the east of the plain, and the entire eastern region of the South Caspian, a compression regime with a NNW-SSE trend was obtained. However, by analyzing all of the earthquakes (smaller and larger earthquakes) in the Gorgan-plain, a strike-slip regime was obtained, in which the trend of the P and T axes were calculated NE-SW and NW-SE, respectively. The results indicate a local strike-slip regime in addition to the regional compressional regime in the region.
Tectonics
Sepideh Rezabeyk; Abdollah Saidi; Mehran Arian; Ali Sorbi
Abstract
In the Northern part of Suture Zone (Kermanshah) the deep sea sediments, oceanic crust remnants, platform carbonates, igneous and metamorphosed rock of active margin and carbonate sequence of passive margin are assembled in this studied area. This convergent area has provided a very complicated structural ...
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In the Northern part of Suture Zone (Kermanshah) the deep sea sediments, oceanic crust remnants, platform carbonates, igneous and metamorphosed rock of active margin and carbonate sequence of passive margin are assembled in this studied area. This convergent area has provided a very complicated structural zone. The main purpose of this study is stress characteristic analysis. A great data has gathered from the faults which are appeared within the rocks specially the radiolaritic rocks. The data includes characteristics of fault surface geometry, fault slip and lineation slip related. By using the method Right Dihedral, the position of main stress was obtained. The great number of reverse faults have a NW- SW trend, while the strike- slip faults, show a NE- SW direction. The Normal faults with a different displacements appeared younger than the other faults. The result of this study that we obtained the situation of main stress σ1, σ2 and σ3 respectively is 059, 305 and 195.
Geophysics
Shahrokh Pourbeyranvand; Mohammad Tatar
Abstract
The Alborz, as one of the important seismotectonic provinces in Iran, has a great vulnerability from natural disasters, especially seismic risk point of view, because of the existence of Tehran megacity in its southern edge. The importance of this area has caused a relatively dense GPS network around ...
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The Alborz, as one of the important seismotectonic provinces in Iran, has a great vulnerability from natural disasters, especially seismic risk point of view, because of the existence of Tehran megacity in its southern edge. The importance of this area has caused a relatively dense GPS network around it. In this study, the earthquake focal mechanism data obtained from different resources was used for stress tensor inversion in the Central Alborz. On the other hand, interpolation of the GPS vectors in rectangular grids and differentiation in the center of each grid cell was used for the study of strain rate in this area. The results showed special variation in principal axes of stress and strain rate, and also the changes in areal and maximum shear strain rates in different parts of the Central Alborz, which shows the geodynamic complexity of the study area. Finally, the angular differences between the maximum horizontal stress and strain rate compressive axis directions were calculated in the location of the clusters of the earthquakes. These calculations showed that the extent of the strain partitioning in the middle parts of the mountain range, where strike-slip motions on Mosha and Firuzkuh faults are observed, has more significant effect on the current deformation processes in the Central Alborz. Meanwhile, in the Northern parts of the range, where dominantly sip slip motions on Khazar Thrust and North Alborz fault occurs, deformation partitioning plays a minor role in the region.
Geophysics
Mohammad Reza Ebrahimi; Mohammad Tatar
Abstract
Impoundment of a reservoir and changes in the lake levels can trigger / induce the seismicity. In this research, the strength changes are modeled across the Golestan fault, due to loading effect of Gotvand-e Olya reservoir which is located in the Zagros Mountain of SW Iran. The formulas based on 3D Boussinesq ...
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Impoundment of a reservoir and changes in the lake levels can trigger / induce the seismicity. In this research, the strength changes are modeled across the Golestan fault, due to loading effect of Gotvand-e Olya reservoir which is located in the Zagros Mountain of SW Iran. The formulas based on 3D Boussinesq solutions were used to calculate normal and shear stresses on a given fault plane. Geometry and mechanism of the Golestan fault were precisely determined using local earthquakes recorded by a local seismological network. For a better analysis, we did the calculations in three different dips of 55, 60 and 65 degrees for the Golestan fault. Since the lake is located on the hanging wall of the Golestan fault, it is expected that loading effect of the reservoir causes delay on occurrence of earthquakes and make the fault more stable. Analysis of induced stresses confirms this too, the results in all dips in most parts of the fault from 7 km to 20 km depth, which are in closer distance to the reservoir, indicate on stabilization. Only in a small part of the fault, located at shallow depths between 5 and 7 km, the destabilizing effect is observed. The calculated strengths, which leads to destabilizing the Golestan fault ranges between -0.243 bars and 0. The observed seismicity in vicinity of the Golestan fault for before and after the impoundment confirms the the results of stress modelling in different parts of the fault.
B Zamani G; N Kiyanizadeh; H Parhizgari
Abstract
In this research, the stress state in the Zagros fold and thrust belt is studied using inversion method analysis of focal mechanisms of earthquakes related to active faults of this region. Geological, structural and seismic differences throughout the Zagros fold and thrust belt led us to divide it into ...
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In this research, the stress state in the Zagros fold and thrust belt is studied using inversion method analysis of focal mechanisms of earthquakes related to active faults of this region. Geological, structural and seismic differences throughout the Zagros fold and thrust belt led us to divide it into five structural zones to make the analysis of a homogenous stress state in each zone possible. Stress analysis in the Zagros belt was done using a large body of available earthquake dataset. For this purpose to be achieved, focal mechanism data of the Zagros earthquakes was first collected from different sources, then were integrated in the analysis after doing a process of corrections and controls. The present research uses Dyngli Software to analyze stress separation in the defined structural zones. Results show that different parts of the Zagros fold and thrust belt are characterized by at least three, and in some cases four, separate stress regimes. It is evidently shown that the orientations of the first and third stress regimes in Zones 1 and 2, third and fourth regimes in Zone 3, third regime in Zone 4, and first, second and fourth regimes in Zone 5 are in a good agreement with previous studies particularly GPS geodesy results. Crustal displacement directions already determined by GPS geodesy show that, on the one hand, shortening is not uniform across the whole length of the Zagros ranges, and on the other hand strain field orientations and fault slips are also different. This could be related to multiple stress regimes in the Zagros belt. Furthermore, considering a thin-skinned tectonic model in the Zagros, those stress regimes that are compatible with GPS results seem to occur within the sedimentary cover, causing a relatively continuous seismic response in the form of earthquakes of small magnitude. Therefore, the first, second and fourth stress regimes in Zone 1, second regime in Zone 2, first and second regimes in Zones 3 and 4, and third regime in Zone 5 are suggested to be linked to basement, in which stress concentration causes large magnitude earthquakes in Zagros. Also, results showed that compressional stress orientations are normal to the structural trends in all zones; the second compressional regime in Zones 1, 2, 3 and 5, and first regime in zone 4 are normal to the folded and thrusted structures.
A Nouri Mokhoori; B Zamani; M Moayyed
Abstract
Tabriz Fault is one of the major faults of Iran that is situated in the northwest of Iran and central part of the Iranian Azerbaijan. The fault has a well-known paleoseismological history, and being situated adjacent to the Tabriz city with two millions ofinhabitants makes ita big seismic hazard. In ...
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Tabriz Fault is one of the major faults of Iran that is situated in the northwest of Iran and central part of the Iranian Azerbaijan. The fault has a well-known paleoseismological history, and being situated adjacent to the Tabriz city with two millions ofinhabitants makes ita big seismic hazard. In this research,a study of instrumental seismic data, remote sensing and field observationsalong the Tabriz Fault Zone from north of Miyaneh to the west of Marand cities helped us to define three main segments along the fault. Fault Movement Potential (FMP) has a close relationship with tectonic stress in and around a given fault zone. Therefore, the stress state was analyzed using direct inversion method to estimate potential movement of each segment of the Tabriz Fault. Results showedthat the middle and southern segments of the Tabriz Fault have a FMP of 0.67-0.73,implying their high potential of reactivation and generating large and destructive earthquakes, assupported bythe richseismic history of these segments. Therefore the results of this research estimatea 70% movement probability for the North Tabriz Fault. In contrast, the northern segment of the Tabriz Fault (western part of the fault close to the Marand city)showsa FMF of 0.3-0.37,indicatingits lower potential of reactivation compared to the middle and southern segments. This is also in agreement with the poor seismic history of the northern segment.
A. Keynezhad; M. Pourkermani; M. Arian; A. Saeedi; M. Lotfi
Abstract
Detailed geological and structural analysis of north of Torud-Moalleman area (Central Iran), between Anjilu fault in north and Torud fault in the south, led to tectonic elements of this limit such as fractures and relative of their mechanism with left lateral sheared zone of two main faults. This study ...
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Detailed geological and structural analysis of north of Torud-Moalleman area (Central Iran), between Anjilu fault in north and Torud fault in the south, led to tectonic elements of this limit such as fractures and relative of their mechanism with left lateral sheared zone of two main faults. This study provides a movement system of Chalu, Gandi and Hafez faults in this shear zone. On the basis of kinematics findings and using general methods of fault slip analysis (orientation of slip plane, slip vector, shape of stress ellipsoid and angle of internal friction) region stress field were calculated after determining the angle of internal friction for each one of fault limits. Then, the main stress orientation determinates for combination data that values of ،وwere 195/10, 339/78 and 104/07 respectively. The shape of stress ellipsoid was defined on the basis of shape factor, [R= (-) / (-)], (Angelier, 1975). The R-value for whole studied regions was about 0.5 and deformation type was mainly left lateral transpressional with reverse component. Such results are evident from N-NE (N195) trending in the region and northward movement of the lithosphere. These finding are in line with field research results of fractures, faults and mechanism in this general shear zone.
