Active faulting in the birjand region of NE Iran

[1] We use satellite imagery and field observations to investigate the distribution of active faults around Birjand in eastern Iran to determine how the transition between conjugate zones of faulting can be accommodated by diffuse active faulting. In the south of the study area, right-lateral strike...

Cur síos iomlán

Sonraí bibleagrafaíochta
Príomhchruthaitheoirí: Walker, RT, Khatib, M
Formáid: Journal article
Teanga:English
Foilsithe / Cruthaithe: 2006
_version_ 1826302145601732608
author Walker, RT
Khatib, M
author_facet Walker, RT
Khatib, M
author_sort Walker, RT
collection OXFORD
description [1] We use satellite imagery and field observations to investigate the distribution of active faults around Birjand in eastern Iran to determine how the transition between conjugate zones of faulting can be accommodated by diffuse active faulting. In the south of the study area, right-lateral strike-slip faults of the Sistan Suture Zone end in thrusts which die away westward from the strike-slip faults. These thrust terminations appear to allow a northward change to E-W thrusting in central parts of the study area. The introduction of E-W thrusting is, in turn, likely to facilitate a change to E-W left-lateral faulting north of the study region. The relatively diffuse pattern of active faulting at Birjand relates to the regional transition between N-S and E-W strike-slip faulting in northeast Iran, which involves a change from nonrotational to rotational deformation. The change from N-S to E-W faulting is likely to result from the orientation of preexisting structures in Iran and western Afghanistan, which are roughly parallel to the active fault zones. The features described at Birjand also show the influence of preexisting structure on the location and style of active faulting at a local scale, with the position of individual faults apparently controlled by inherited geological weaknesses. Very few modern earthquakes have occurred in the region of Birjand and yet destructive events are known from the historical record. The large number of active faults mapped in this study pose a substantial seismic hazard to Birjand and surrounding regions. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T05:43:06Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:e643f7d1-cef1-4c2c-8ad3-f088a937c4aa
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T05:43:06Z
publishDate 2006
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:e643f7d1-cef1-4c2c-8ad3-f088a937c4aa2022-03-27T10:29:55ZActive faulting in the birjand region of NE IranJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:e643f7d1-cef1-4c2c-8ad3-f088a937c4aaEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2006Walker, RTKhatib, M[1] We use satellite imagery and field observations to investigate the distribution of active faults around Birjand in eastern Iran to determine how the transition between conjugate zones of faulting can be accommodated by diffuse active faulting. In the south of the study area, right-lateral strike-slip faults of the Sistan Suture Zone end in thrusts which die away westward from the strike-slip faults. These thrust terminations appear to allow a northward change to E-W thrusting in central parts of the study area. The introduction of E-W thrusting is, in turn, likely to facilitate a change to E-W left-lateral faulting north of the study region. The relatively diffuse pattern of active faulting at Birjand relates to the regional transition between N-S and E-W strike-slip faulting in northeast Iran, which involves a change from nonrotational to rotational deformation. The change from N-S to E-W faulting is likely to result from the orientation of preexisting structures in Iran and western Afghanistan, which are roughly parallel to the active fault zones. The features described at Birjand also show the influence of preexisting structure on the location and style of active faulting at a local scale, with the position of individual faults apparently controlled by inherited geological weaknesses. Very few modern earthquakes have occurred in the region of Birjand and yet destructive events are known from the historical record. The large number of active faults mapped in this study pose a substantial seismic hazard to Birjand and surrounding regions. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.
spellingShingle Walker, RT
Khatib, M
Active faulting in the birjand region of NE Iran
title Active faulting in the birjand region of NE Iran
title_full Active faulting in the birjand region of NE Iran
title_fullStr Active faulting in the birjand region of NE Iran
title_full_unstemmed Active faulting in the birjand region of NE Iran
title_short Active faulting in the birjand region of NE Iran
title_sort active faulting in the birjand region of ne iran
work_keys_str_mv AT walkerrt activefaultinginthebirjandregionofneiran
AT khatibm activefaultinginthebirjandregionofneiran