Employing Minimum age model (MAM) and Finite mixture modeling (FMM) for OSL age determination of two important samples from Ira Trench of North Tehran Fault

Abstract

AbstractIra trench site is in a point where, the surface trace of North Tehran Fault (NTF) joins the Mosha Fault (MF) in the north-eastern margin of Tehran and can provide important paleosismological information for Tehran. The Ira trench, were divided into 6 packages (I to VI), described, according to their composition, relative and absolute ages. Package I consists of units 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31. The whole package I mainly belongs to Holocene, and provides essential constraints for the recent paleoearthquake activity of the EMF and NTF zone. Therefore, finding accurate ages for the units of this package is very important. Three colluvial wedges (units 23, 26, 28) are present between 20 and 36.5 m north in package I, which are assigned to 3 episodes of activity on Fault 13. Central age model (CAM) provided OSL ages of 35.0 ± 6.1, 7.3 ± 1.3, 6.4 ± 0.9 and 56 ± 6.5 ka for units 23, 26, 28 and 29, respectively.The conflicting ages of 56 ± 6.5 and 35.0 ± 6.1 ka (for units 23 and 29, respectively) as compared to the underlying younger units suggest that these ages are overestimated. MAM provided OSL ages of 13.1 ± 4.3 and 3.5 ± 0.4 ka for units 23 and 29, respectively. The contribution of the new statistical age model of sample IRA4 to the paleoseismic data is discussed.