Lateral fold Growth and Linkage in the Zagros Fold and thrust Belt (Kurdistan, NE Iraq)

Abstract

Geomorphology is an excellent tool to quantify the interactions between deformation, exhumation and erosion. Consequently, fold growth has been studied by means of tectonic geomorphology, resulting in a better understanding of the structural models of potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. The evolution and changes in drainage patterns, as well as the influence of fold growth on their appearance, provide evidence for the kinematics of folds and faults. This work investigates the development of fold trains along the front of the Zagros, northeast of the city of Erbil (Kurdistan, NE Iraq; Fig. 1). The major goal of this work was to use geomorphologic criteria to develop a detailed evolutionary model of lateral fold growth, with a special focus on the process of fold linkage.