Structural styles of the Aras fault zone with implications for a transpressive fault system in NW Iran

Tectonic evolution of the central part of the East Anatolian Fault Zone, Eastern Turkey

“…The fault-slip data with reverse components support the transpressive tectonic regime in this location. On the other hand, reverse faults and folds with the strike-slip faults in the southern part of the segment maintain typical characteristics of the transpressional stress regimes that broad deformation zone including fault branches that occurred strike-slip and a simultaneous component of the shortening perpendicular to the fault plane (Saber et al, 2021).…”

Landscape response to deformation in the Sabalan area, NW Iran: Inferred from quantitative morphological and structural analysis

“…The right-lateral fault array is active in NW Iran and allows for shortening within the tip of the Arabian promontory (Copley & Jackson 2006;Allen 2010), which has had an essential role in developing surface processes during the Quaternary (e.g., Karakhanian et al 2004;Solaymani Azad et al 2019;Saber et al 2021). The main lateral movement of the crust is accommodated by NW-SE-(e.g., the Tabriz fault zone), N-S-(e.g., the Talesh and Sangavar fault zones), E-W-(e.g., the North and South Bozgush fault zones) and NE-SW-(e.g., the Aras fault zone) striking fault zones, which have produced many destructive earthquakes during historical and instrumental periods (e.g., Berberian 1997;Berberian & Yeats 1999;Hessami et al 2003; Karakhanian et al Moradi et al 2011;Rizza et al 2013;Isik et al 2021).…”

“…The formation of seismogenic faults, such as the left-lateral strike-slip fault during the 1997 Golestan earthquake east of Sabalan volcano, indicates the dynamism of the Earth's crust in this region. Different aspects of the tectonics of NW Iran and its surroundings have been included in numerous studies (e.g., Jackson 1992;Berberian & Yeats 1999;Nilforoushan et al 2003;Vernant et al 2004;Masson et al 2007;Djamour et al 2011;Rizza et al 2013;Madanipour et al 2017;Saber et al 2018Saber et al , 2020Saber et al , 2021van der Boom et al 2018;Solaymani Azad et al 2019;Rezaeian et al 2020). More recent studies have analysed geomorphic indices to investigate the relative tectonic activity in the active faultdominated areas of NW Iran (Saber et al 2018(Saber et al , 2020.…”

“…The Turkish-Iranian Plateau, which is sometimes described as two separate areas with different tectono-geomorphic features referred to as the Iranian and Anatolian Plateaus (e.g., Ballato et al 2013;Khodaparast et al 2020), includes a large number of intra-plate deformation zones formed as a result of the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian Plates (e.g., S ¸engör & Kidd 1979;Jackson 1992;Agard et al 2005;Allen et al 2006;Reilinger et al 2006;Isik et al 2014;Caglayan et al 2019;Solaymani Azad et al 2019;Saber et al 2021). In addition, plate boundaries and significant areas of intra-plate deformation are found in NW Iran, including numerous large-scale active fault zones (e.g., Masson et al 2006;Berberian 2014;Solaymani Azad et al 2019;Isik et al 2021;Niassarifard et al 2021;Saber et al 2021) (Fig. 1b).…”

“…1b). The strike-slip faults in NW Iran have been proposed to represent the northern boundary of the Iranian-Caledonian palaeorelief (e.g., the Tabriz fault zone; Nabavi 1974), the borders of the mountain belts (e.g., the North and South Bozgush fault zones; Saber et al 2018;Isik et al , 2021, tear faults accommodating differential displacement between two adjacent segments of the belt (e.g., the Sangavar fault; Solaymani Azad et al 2019) and the boundary between two different tectonic blocks (the Aras fault zone; Saber et al 2020Saber et al , 2021.…”