Deformation and Movement of Qom, Alborz and Kushk-e Nosrat Fault Zones in the Northern Part of Qom

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Geology, Damavand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damavand, Iran

2 M.Sc. Student, Department of Geology, Ashtian Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ashtian, Iran

Abstract

The placement of the Iranian crust at the junction of the Arabian, Indian and Eurasian plates has caused tectonic disruption. The creation of numerous faults and many folds along with seismicity in the Iranian crust are signs of this disruption. The continental basin of northern Qom is located in central Iran. The general trend of the important faults in this area including Qom, Alborz and Kushk-e Nosrat faults, is northwest-southeast. These faults with a length of more than 50 km affected by Arab-Eurasian plate convergence, and have played an important role in seismicity and deformation of Qom area.
     Morphological evidence and the existence of numerous fault fragments that have cut Quaternary sediments indicate the activity of these structures around the city of Qom. Despite the valuable studies that have been done on the faults of Qom, Alborz and Kushk-e Nosrat, there are still ambiguous opinions and ambiguities about how these faults move and their seismic potential. Qom fault with a length of more than 50 km, has a northwest-southeast trend that continues from the mountains southeast of Qom to the south of Zefreh in the northeast of Isfahan. Along this fault, Oligo-Miocene limestone and marl are driven on Quaternary sediments. Alborz fault has also a northwest-southeast trend with a dip to the southwest that has cut the northern limb of the Alborz anticline. Alborz fault has also driven Oligo-Miocene units on Quaternary units. Kushk-e Nosrat fault is part of the fault system. It starts from the southeast of Hoz-e Soltan Lake and continues to the Avaj fault. The general direction of Kushk-e Nosrat fault is 280 to 290 degrees, and in most cases, it has a dip more than 80 degrees to the south. One of the objectives of this study is to identify how these faults displacement and activity are occurred.
     One of the methods of tectonic assessment is the use of geometric indices. Among these, according to the lithological characteristics and the location and distribution of the basins, the indices of Vf, hypsometry and SL have been selected and the results have been analyzed. Results of morphometric indices with fault geometry and stress orientation data, have been able to elucidate some tectonic features of the area. Morphometric studies show the areas around Saveh fault and Kushk-e Nosrat fault in the northern part of Saveh as well as areas in the south of Qom have the potential to rise. Other zones do not have any significant uplift.
     The geometry of the faults and orientation of the maximum compressive stress show that the maximum compressive stress direction is N30 to N330, and according to the direction of the fault, the fault mechanism is estimated to be Dextral. The stress inferred from the seismic event of 2007/06/18 also confirms the right-lateral shear motion along with the reverse motion in the faults.
     The low vertical uplifts does not indicate the absence of activities, but can indicate the compressive and shear components or the specific deformation of Central Iran. This type of movement can be easily interpreted by knowing the stress orientation. The shear-compressive deformation of the Qom area is due to the northeastern movement of the Arabian plate and the limitation due to the Caspian hard crust.
     Undoubtedly, Qom is an area that is considered and studied by different seismic researchers with different views and study styles. Comparing the results of these studies has helped to discover the Unknown activity zone.
  In general, the northern part of Qom is an area with high seismicity in which the mechanism of earthquakes is mostly strike-slip with thrust. Therefore, moderate to large earthquakes are expected to occur in the future.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Huber, H. (1951) Geology of Parts of the Western Kavir Area and Oil Possibilities of Northern Region No. 2. National Iranian Oil Company Geological Report No. 19, 39 p.
  2. Gansser, A. (1955) New aspects of the geology of Central Iran. Proceedings of Fourth World Petroleum Congress, Section 1/A/5, Carlo Colombo, Rome, 286-305.
  3. Furrer, M.A. and Sonder, P.A. (1955) The Oligo-Miocene marine formation in the Qum region (Central Iran). Proceedings of Fourth World Petroleum Congress, Section 1/A/5, Carlo Colombo, Rome, 270-277.
  4. Babaahmadi, A., Safaei, H., Yassaghi, A., Vafa, H., Naeimi, A., Madanipour, S., and Ahmadi, M. (2010) A study of Quaternary structures in the Qom region, West Central Iran. Journal of Geodynamics, 50(5), 355-367, doi:10.1016/j.jog.2010.04.006.
  5. Walker, R. and Jackson, J. (2004) Active tectonics and late Cenozoic strain distribution in central and eastern Iran. Tectonics, 23(5), doi:10.1029/ 2003tc001529.
  6. Allen, M., Jackson, J., and Walker, R. (2004) Late Cenozoic reorganization of the Arabia-Eurasia collision and the comparison of short-term and long-term deformation rates. Tectonics, 23(2), doi:10.1029/2003TC001530.
  7. Talbot, C. and Aftabi, P. (2004) Geology and models of salt extrusion at Qum Kuh, central Iran. Journal of the Geological Society, 161(2), 321-334, doi:10.1144/0016-764903-102.
  8. Letouzey, J. and Rudkiewicz, J.L. (2005) Structural geology in the Central Iranian Basin. Institut Français du Petrole report F0214001, 79p.
  9. Ehteshami-Moinabadi, M. and Yassaghi, A. (2007) Geometry and kinematics of the Mosha Fault, South Central Alborz Range, Iran: An example of basement involved thrusting. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 29(5-6), 928-938.
  10. Morley, C.K., Kongwung, B., Julapour, A.A., Abdolghafourian, M., Hajian, M., Waples, D., and Kazemi, H. (2009) Structural development of a major late Cenozoic basin and transpressional belt in central Iran: The Central Basin in the Qom-Saveh area. Geosphere, 5(4), 325-362, doi:10.1130/ ges00223.1.
  11. Sella, G.F., Dixon, T.H., and Mao, A. (2002) REVEL: A model for recent plate velocities from space geodesy. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 107(B4), ETG 11-11-ETG 11-30, doi:10.1029/2000jb000033.
  12. Hessami, K. (2002) Tectonic History and Present-Day Deformation in the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden. Published thesis.
  13. Vernant, P., Nilforoushan, F., Chéry, J., Bayer, R., Djamour, Y., Masson, F., and Tavakoli, F. (2004) Deciphering oblique shortening of central Alborz in Iran using geodetic data. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 223(1-2), 177-185, doi:10.1016/ j.epsl.2004.04.017.
  14. Nabavi, M.H. (1976) A Preface to Iran’s Geology. Geology Survey and Mineral Exploration of Iran, 109.
  15. Berberian, M. (1976) Documented Earthquake faults in Iran, Rep. 39. Geological Survey of Iran, Tehran.
  16. Nogol-Sadat, A., Ahmadzadeh Heravi, M., Almasian, M., Poshtkuhi, M., and Hushmandzadeh, A. (1993)Tectonic Map of Iran. Scale 1: 1 000 000, Tehran: Geological Survey of Iran.
  17. Omidi, P. (1990) Structural Analysis of Alborz Anticline, North Qom. M.Sc. Thesis, Tarbiat Modares University, 218p. (in Persian).
  18. Baghbani, D., Allahyari, M., and Shakeri. A. (1996) Investigation of Qom Sedimentary Basin and Evaluation of its Hydrocarbon Potential. Geological Rep. 1838, National Iranian Oil Company (in Persian).
  19. Ghalamghash, J., Fonodi, M., and MehrParto, M. (1998) Geological Map of Saveh, 1:100000. Geological Survey of Iran, Tehran.
  20. Elyaszadeh, R., Mohajjel, M., Farahani, B., and Jafari, S.R. (2012) New structural evidence of Alborz Fault (North Qom) evidence for transfer of inversion from central-west alborz faults to the same oriented faults in South Alborz. Journal of Geoscience, 21(83), 13-22 (in Persian), doi:10. 22071/gsj.2012.54511.
  21. Khodaparast, S., Madanipour, S., Enkelmann, E., Nozaem, R., and Hessami, K. (2020) Fault inversion in central Iran: Evidence of post Pliocene intracontinental left lateral kinematics at the northern Iranian Plateau margin. Journal of Geodynamics, 140, 101784, doi:https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jog.2020.101784.
  22. Strahler, A.N. (1952) Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 63(11), 1117-1142, doi:1130/0016-7606(1952)63[1117:HAAOET]2. 0.CO;2.
  23. Mayer, L. (1990) Introduction to Quantitative Geomorphology: an Exercise Manual. Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632: Prentice-Hall International, Inc.
  24. Keller, E.A. and Pinter, N. (2002) Active Tectonics: Earthquakes, Uplift, and Landscape. Upper Saddle River (N.J.): Prentice Hall.
  25. Bull, W.B. (2007) Tectonic Geomorphology of Mountains: A New Approach to Paleoseismology. Blackwell, Malden.
  26. Pérez-Peña, J.V., Azor, A., Azañón, J.M., and Keller, E.A. (2010) Active tectonics in the Sierra Nevada (Betic Cordillera, SE Spain): Insights from geomorphic indexes and drainage pattern analysis. Geomorphology, 119(1) 74-87, doi:10.1016/j. geomorph.2010.02.020.
  27. Merritts, D. and Vincent, K.R. (1989) Geomorphic response of coastal streams to low, intermediate, and high rates of uplift, Medocino triple junction region, northern California. GSA Bulletin, 101(11), 1373-1388, doi:10.1130/0016-606(1989)101<1373 grocst>2.3.co;2.
  28. Burbank, D. and Anderson, R. (2011) Tectonic Geomorphology. 274, doi:10.1002/9781444345063.
  29. Keller, E.A. and Pinter, N. (1996) Active Tectonics: Earthquakes, Uplift, and Landscape. Prentice Hall.
  30. El Hamdouni, R., Irigaray, C., Castillo, T., Chacón, J., and Keller, E. (2008) Assessment of relative active tectonics, southwest border of the Sierra Nevada (Southern Spain). Geomorphology, 96(1-2), 150-173, doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.08.004.
  31. Bull, W.B. and McFadden, L.D. (1977) Tectonic geomorphology north and south of the Garlock Fault, California, In: Doehring, D.O. (Ed.) Geomorphology in Arid Regions. Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Geomorphology Symposium, State University of New York, Binghamton, 115-138.
  32. Bull, W.B. (1978) Geomorphic Tectonic Classes of the South Front of the San Gabriel Mountains, California. U.S. Geological Survey Contract Report, 14-08-001-G-394, Office of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Engineering, Menlo Park, CA.
  33. Silva, P.G., Goy, J.L., Zazo, C., and Azcárate, T. (2003) Faulth-generated Mountain fronts in Southeast Spain: Geomorphologic assessment of tectonic and seismic activity. Geomorphology, 50(1-3), 203-225, doi:10.1016/S0169-555X(02) 00215-5.
  34. Ghorbani, E., Dowlati, A., and Pourkermani, M. (2016) Morphotectonic analysis and dynamics of north-western Central Iran, the Qom-Saveh Basin. Quaternery Journal of Iran, 1(4), 293-306 (in Persian).
  35. Orang, K., Mohajjel, M., and Tajbakhsh, G.R. (2015) Slip sense inversion on the Koushk-e-Nosrat Fault, North Saveh. Journal of Geoscience, 24(1393), 315-328 (in Persian), doi:10.22071/gsj. 2015.43429.
  36. Nogol-Sadat, M.A.A. (1985) Transpressional Structures in Iran; Results of Structural Analysis of Qom Region. Geological Surveying of Iran, Report 55.
  37. Zamani, P. and Hosseini, H. (2008) Geological Map of Qom, 1:100000. Geological Survey of Iran, Tehran.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 13 October 2020
  • Revise Date: 05 March 2021
  • Accept Date: 18 May 2021

Share

How to cite

Statistics