Active Deformation Patterns in the Northern Birjand Mountains of the Sistan Suture Zone, Iran

Abstract

In this paper, faults, one of the most important causes of geohazards, were investigated from a kinematic and geometric viewpoint in the northern part of the Sistan suture zone (SSZ), which serves as the boundary between the Afghan and Lut blocks. Furthermore, field evidence was analyzed in order to assess the structural type and deformation mechanism of the research area. In the northern Birjand mountain range, several ~E–W striking faults cut through geological units; geometric and kinematic analyses of these faults indicate that almost all faults have main reverse components, which reveals the existing compressional stress in the study area. The northern Birjand mountain range is characterized by four main reverse faults with ~E–W striking: F1–F4. The F1 and F2 reverse faults have southward dips, while the F3 and F4 reverse faults have northward dips. Moreover, the lengths of the F1, F2, F3, and F4 faults are 31, 17, 8, and 38 km, respectively. These faults, with reverse components that have interactive relationships with each other, form high relief structures. The study area’s main reverse faults, including F1 to F4, are extensions of the Nehbandan fault system, while their kinematics and geometry in the northern Birjand mountain range point to an N–S pop-up structure.