Modeling the flexural evolution of the Amiran and Mesopotamian foreland basins of NW Zagros (Iran-Iraq)

Saura, Eduard; García‐Castellanos, Daniel; Casciello, Emilio; Parravano, Vanessa; Urruela, A.; Vergés, Jaume

doi:10.1002/2014tc003660

Cited by 83 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…We therefore estimate the range of possible values required to fit jointly the foreland depth and FAA to between 38 and 60 km. This range of values is consistent with the equivalent elastic thickness of the lithosphere determined in previous studies based on the analysis of 1-D profiles in the eastern sector of our study area (about 50 km, Snyder & Barazangi 1986;Saura et al 2015). It is also consistent with the equivalent elastic thickness mapped from the coherence between the topography and the gravity field (Chen et al 2015), which shows a gradient from about 90 km for the Arabian Platform south of the Mesopotamia basin to about 30 km beneath the Zagros.…”

Section: Implications For the Rheological Layering Of The Continentalsupporting

confidence: 92%

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Flexural bending of the Zagros foreland basin

Pirouz¹,

Avouac²,

Gualandi³

et al. 2017

Geophysical Journal International

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S U M M A R YWe constrain and model the geometry of the Zagros foreland to assess the equivalent elastic thickness of the northern edge of the Arabian plate and the loads that have originated due to the Arabia-Eurasia collision. The Oligo-Miocene Asmari formation, and its equivalents in Iraq and Syria, is used to estimate the post-collisional subsidence as they separate passive margin sediments from the younger foreland deposits. The depth to these formations is obtained by synthesizing a large database of well logs, seismic profiles and structural sections from the Mesopotamian basin and the Persian Gulf. The foreland depth varies along strike of the Zagros wedge between 1 and 6 km. The foreland is deepest beneath the Dezful embayment, in southwest Iran, and becomes shallower towards both ends. We investigate how the geometry of the foreland relates to the range topography loading based on simple flexural models. Deflection of the Arabian plate is modelled using point load distribution and convolution technique. The results show that the foreland depth is well predicted with a flexural model which assumes loading by the basin sedimentary fill, and thickened crust of the Zagros. The model also predicts a Moho depth consistent with Free-Air anomalies over the foreland and Zagros wedge. The equivalent elastic thickness of the flexed Arabian lithosphere is estimated to be ca. 50 km. We conclude that other sources of loading of the lithosphere, either related to the density variations (e.g. due to a possible lithospheric root) or dynamic origin (e.g. due to sublithospheric mantle flow or lithospheric buckling) have a negligible influence on the foreland geometry, Moho depth and topography of the Zagros. We calculate the shortening across the Zagros assuming conservation of crustal mass during deformation, trapping of all the sediments eroded from the range in the foreland, and an initial crustal thickness of 38 km. This calculation implies a minimum of 126 ± 18 km of crustal shortening due to ophiolite obduction and post-collisional shortening.

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Section: Implications For the Rheological Layering Of The Continentalsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…They therefore concluded that subsurface loads or dynamic stresses were needed in addition to the topographic load. More recently, Saura et al (2015) modelled a section of the Zagros foreland and reached the conclusion that additional subcrustal load is necessary to account for the observed flexure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexural bending of the Zagros foreland basin

Pirouz¹,

Avouac²,

Gualandi³

et al. 2017

Geophysical Journal International

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“…The total shortening is 20 km, 8 km of which being associated to the thin-skinned Satiary and Herta thrust systems to the NE of the Marakhil Anticline. As previously mentioned, these thrusts are truncated by the High Zagros Fault, which in this area was active during the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene interval (Karim et al, 2011;Vergés et al, 2011;Saura et al, 2015). Fault, which forms part of a thrust system splaying from a mid-crustal decollement (Vergés et al, 2011), similar to that documented in other FTBs (Cristallini and Ramos, 2000;Butler et al, 2004;Lacombe and Bellahsen, 2016).…”

Section: Balancing the Cross-sectionsupporting

confidence: 56%

“…The closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean during the Late Cretaceous led to the formation of a flexural basin, filled by a ca. 2 km thick Maastrichtian to Eocene succession (Hessami et al, 2001;Homke et al, 2009;Vergés et al, 2011;Saura et al, 2015), evolving from deep-marine marls and limestones to a prograding wedge of deep marine to continental clastic sediments. This first foredeep infill is overlain by about 500 m of shallowwater carbonates of the Shahbazan and Asmari Fm (Oligocene-lower Miocene), passing upward to lower Miocene evaporites.…”

Section: Geological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The seismogenic fault system of the 2017 <i>M<sub>w</sub></i> 7.3 Iran-Iraq earthquake: constraints from surface and subsurface data, cross-section balancing and restoration

Tavani¹,

Parente²,

Puzone³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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The 2017 Mw 7.3 Iran-Iraq earthquake occurred in a region where the pattern of major plate convergence is well constrained, but limited information is available on the seismogenic structures. Geological observations, interpretation of seismic reflection profiles, and well data are used in this paper to build a regional balanced cross-section that provides a comprehensive picture of the geometry and dimensional parameters of active faults in the hypocentral area. Our results indicate: (i) coexistence of thin-and thick-skinned thrusting, (ii) reactivation of inherited structures, and (iii) occurrence of weak units promoting heterogeneous deformation within the Paleo-Cenozoic sedimentary cover and partial decoupling from the underlying basement. According to our study, the main shock of the

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“…Time steps were constructed by forward modeling in Midland Valley Move© software. (a) Pre‐Zagros (>80 Ma) configuration of the Arabian passive margin and Neotethys suprasubduction zone based on Verges et al (), Saura et al (), and Moghadam and Stern (). (b) Proto‐Zagros ophiolite obduction (80–56 Ma): emplacement of oceanic and allochthonous thrust sheets upon Arabian margin; flexural development of Amiran‐Kashghan foreland basin (Homke et al, ; Saura et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cenozoic Exhumation and Foreland Basin Evolution of the Zagros Orogen During the Arabia‐Eurasia Collision, Western Iran

et al. 2018

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Cenozoic exhumation patterns in the internal and external Zagros reveal a long‐term deformation record associated with geodynamic restructuring of Arabia‐Eurasia collisional zone from continental subduction to plate suturing, which can be evaluated from thermochronometric, provenance, and subsidence analyses. Thermal modeling of zircon and apatite (U‐Th)/He ages and apatite fission track data from the Sanandaj‐Sirjan Zone (SSZ) indicates exhumation and inferred uplift along the leading edge of Eurasia starting in the Late Eocene (~35 Ma), coeval with initial foreland flexural subsidence of Arabia. Together with deceleration in Arabia‐Eurasia convergence and diminished subduction‐related magmatism, these events signal the final Neotethys closure and onset of long‐term (15–20 Myr) Arabian continental subduction beneath Eurasia, facilitated by the attenuated architecture of the precollisional Arabian margin. From 35 to 20 Ma, crustal shortening was relatively subdued and restricted to areas along the Arabia‐Eurasia plate boundary and diffuse inversion structures within continental interiors. Acceleration in SSZ cooling/exhumation rates from 19 to 16 Ma was synchronous with rapid basin subsidence and clastic progradation in the Zagros foreland. These events were contemporaneous with 20‐ to 16‐Ma surge in calc‐alkaline magmatism in central Iran and may have been linked to reorganization/deflection of Arabian plate vectors during the main phase of Red Sea rifting at 19–18 Ma. Transition from continental subduction to Arabia‐Eurasia suturing by ~12 Ma forced a transfer of strain from the subduction zone to intraplate deformational structures. This was marked by rapid outward expansion of the Zagros orogen, involving a shift in exhumation from the SSZ to Zagros fold‐thrust belt and Iranian plate interior.

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Modeling the flexural evolution of the Amiran and Mesopotamian foreland basins of NW Zagros (Iran-Iraq)

Cited by 83 publications

References 90 publications

Flexural bending of the Zagros foreland basin

Flexural bending of the Zagros foreland basin

The seismogenic fault system of the 2017 <i>M<sub>w</sub></i> 7.3 Iran-Iraq earthquake: constraints from surface and subsurface data, cross-section balancing and restoration

Cenozoic Exhumation and Foreland Basin Evolution of the Zagros Orogen During the Arabia‐Eurasia Collision, Western Iran

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Modeling the flexural evolution of the Amiran and Mesopotamian foreland basins of NW Zagros (Iran-Iraq)

Cited by 83 publications

References 90 publications

Flexural bending of the Zagros foreland basin

Flexural bending of the Zagros foreland basin

The seismogenic fault system of the 2017 &lt;i&gt;M&lt;sub&gt;w&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;/i&gt; 7.3 Iran-Iraq earthquake: constraints from surface and subsurface data, cross-section balancing and restoration

Cenozoic Exhumation and Foreland Basin Evolution of the Zagros Orogen During the Arabia‐Eurasia Collision, Western Iran

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The seismogenic fault system of the 2017 <i>M<sub>w</sub></i> 7.3 Iran-Iraq earthquake: constraints from surface and subsurface data, cross-section balancing and restoration