Abstract
Abstract. In this study, we investigate the contribution of earthquakes to the deformation of Zagros province and compare the seismicity and the density of earthquakes in different parts of the province. The mathematics used in this research is based on calculations of moment rates. The seismic moment rate is the average amount of seismic energy releases from the tectonic province in each year. The geodetic moment rate is the average amount of energy which is consumed every year to make deformation in Zagros. The ratio of these two moment rates expresses the contribution of earthquakes in making deformation in Zagros province. According to the calculations, this ratio is estimated to be 13.06%. Along with the information obtained from the moment rates, we can also obtain the shear and the dilative strain rates from the strain rate tensors, which show the volumetric changes and the deformation rate in different parts of the Zagros, respectively. The data used in this study include the focal coordinates of the Zagros earthquakes with their magnitude and the velocity vectors of the Zagros geodynamic network, which are used to calculate the seismic and the geodetic moment rates.
Highlights
The Zagros fold-thrust belt is an orogenic belt along the NWSE that stretches about 2000km from Turkey to the Strait of Hormuz in the southwest of Iran (Berberian, 1995)
Based on the slip rate and the attitude of deformation obtained from GPS observations, Zagros is divided into two parts: the North Zagros and the Central Zagros
We investigate the contribution of earthquakes in making deformation in Zagros and interpret the deformation rate in different regions of the tectonic province by using the strain rate tensor
Summary
The Zagros fold-thrust belt is an orogenic belt along the NWSE that stretches about 2000km from Turkey to the Strait of Hormuz in the southwest of Iran (Berberian, 1995). This belt is limited to the north by the main Zagros fault, which is referred to as connection of Neo-Tethys ocean. Recent tectonic activities in this area are the result of convergence of the continental plates of Arabia and Eurasian from the late Cretaceous/early Miocene.
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