The role of tear faults on morphology of Ashkhaneh fault zone

NE Iran is dominated by active strike-slip and thrust faults that accommodate a part of convergence between Arabian and Eurasian Plates. One of the main accommodative structures in this region is the Ashkhaneh thrust fault zone. This fault zone has been dissected by a number of strike-slip tear faults. In this paper, we describe general characteristics of the tear faults and their role on the tectonics of Ashkhaneh fault zone to highlight how morphology features influence by active tectonics. The tear faults and Ashkhaneh fault probably have interactions, so that the likely movement along one of these faults may cause reactivation of the other faults.

Keywords:

Active tectonics , Strike slip fault , Tear fault , Ashkhaneh fault , NE Iran