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Geomorphology
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / g e o m o r p h

Quantitative analysis of relative tectonic activity in the Sarvestan area, central Zagros, Iran
M. Dehbozorgi a,, M. Pourkermani a, M. Arian b, A.A. Matkan c, H. Motamedi d, A. Hosseiniasl c
a

Faculty of Earth Science, Beheshti University, Velenjak Street, Tehran, Iran Faculty of Earth Science, Science and Research Branch, Azad University, Hesarak, Punak Sq. Tehran, Iran Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, Faculty of Earth Science, Beheshti University, Velenjak Street, Tehran, Iran d NIOC Exploration Directorate, Seoul Ave., 1st Dd end, Tehran, Iran
b c

a r t i c l e

i n f o

a b s t r a c t
Neotectonics is a major factor controlling landform development in tectonically active regions, and it has signicantly affected uvial systems and mountain-front landscapes in the Sarvestan area of the central Zagros, Iran. The area is located along the simply folded belt of the Zagros, and is an outcome of the SWNE oriented tectonic conversion that initiated in the Late Cretaceous and strengthened during the Early Miocene due to the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. To assess tectonic activities in the area, we analyzed geomorphic indices: the stream-gradient index (SL), drainage basin asymmetry (Af), hypsometric integral (Hi), valley oor widthvalley height ratio (Vf), drainage basin shape (Bs), and mountain-front sinuosity (J). These indices were combined to yield the relative active tectonics index (Iat) using geographic information systems (GIS). Based on Iat values, the study area was divided into four parts: Class 1 (very high relative tectonic activity, 1.0% in area); Class 2 (high, 20.0%); Class 3 (moderate, 67.0%), and Class 4 (low, 12.0%). The results are consistent with eld observations on landforms and geology. 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Article history: Received 15 May 2009 Received in revised form 27 April 2010 Accepted 7 May 2010 Available online xxxx Keywords: Tectonic geomorphology Morphometry Geomorphic indices Active tectonics Zagros Mountains Iran

1. Introduction The landforms and geology of the Zagros Mountains in southwest Iran such as fault scarps, triangular facets, truncated folds, and Quaternary deposits along folded/faulted mountain fronts reect recent tectonics. The seismic record in the Zagros is characterized by the high frequency of relatively small magnitude (b 4) earthquakes and infrequent large earthquakes, making a seismological evaluation of active tectonics difcult. Geomorphological studies of active tectonics in the late Pleistocene and Holocene are important to evaluate earthquake hazards in tectonically active areas such as the Zagros (Keller and Pinter, 2002). Spatial tools including geographic information systems (GIS) and morphometric analyses may provide useful information on this subject. This article applies a quantitative geomorphological method to an area in the Zagros to evaluate relative rates of active tectonics. Considering the diversity of the morphotectonic features (Keller and Pinter, 1996; Burbank and Anderson, 2001), we analyzed six geomorphic indices: the stream-gradient index (SL), drainage basin asymmetry (Af), hypsometric integral (Hi), valley oor widthvalley height ratio (Vf), drainage basin shape (Bs), and mountain-front sinuosity (J). We then computed a single index (Iat) from the six indices to characterize relative active tectonics. This kind of methodology has been found to be useful in various tectonically active areas such as the SW USA (Rockwell et al., 1985),

the Pacic coast of Costa Rica (Wells et al., 1988), the Mediterranean coast of Spain (Silva, 1994), and the southwestern Sierra Nevada of Spain (El Hamdouni et al., 2007). We also evaluated the results from the morphometric analyses based on eld-based geomorphological observations.

2. Regional geology The Zagros is a fold-thrust belt within the Arabian plate, extending from northeastern Iraq to the northern Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf (Fig. 1). It has developed under strong inuence of tectonics since the Late Cretaceous. The study area (5350 km2) is located along a simply folded belt of southeastern Zagros (Alavi, 2004). It is underlain by Phanerozoic sedimentary sequences in elongated, doubly-plunging, box-shaped anticlines, and the synclines are partly buried by younger Quaternary alluvium (Fig. 2). The SWNE oriented contraction has led to the development of NWSE trending, SW-verging folds, and NE-dipping thrusts in the Phanerozoic sedimentary strata covering the Afro-Arabian basement, above a detachment zone of the InfracambrianCambrian Hormuz evaporite (Kadinsky-Cade and Barzangi, 1982; Alavi, 1994). The other fault systems in the study area (Kazerun-Borazjan / Karebass / Sabz Pushan / Sarvestan; Fig. 2) can be viewed as orogen-scale, horsetail, strike-slip faults which transfers dextral slips along the main recent fault into the thrust-fold of the Zagros belt (Fig. 1; Authemayou et al., 2005). The Sarvestan fault system is often marked by the salt diapirs

Corresponding author. Fax: + 98 2129902628. E-mail address: mdehbozorgy7@gmail.com (M. Dehbozorgi). 0169-555X/$ see front matter 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.05.002

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Fig. 1. Location of the study area in (A) a map of the Middle East and (B) a schematic structural map of the Fars. Modied after Lacombe, 2006.

that emerged to the surface. In contrast, the Kharman Kuh in the northeastern study area is situated on a salt diapir, which has not emerged yet.

We categorized the level of rock resistance based on rock types shown in Fig. 2 and eld observations: very low (alluvial deposits), low (older alluvial fan deposits, weakly consolidated conglomerate,

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Fig. 2. Geological map of the study area.

and marl), moderate (gypseous marl, chalky ne dolomitic limestone, and gypsum), and high (limestone, sandstone, dolomite, shale, and hard conglomerate) (El Hamdouni et al., 2007). A map showing the distribution of the rock resistant levels was created using GIS (Fig. 3). 3. Morphometric analysis and results 3.1. Morphometric indices Geomorphic indices useful for studying active tectonics include the stream-gradient index (SL), drainage basin asymmetry (Af), hypsomet-

ric integral (Hi), valley oor widthvalley height ratio (Vf), drainage basin shape (Bs), and mountain-front sinuosity (J) (Keller and Pinter, 1996). Because most of these indices are obtained for river basins, the present research has considered the basin of the Ghare Aghaj River owing southwestward. This basin is subdivided into 72 subbasins (Fig. 4). 3.1.1. Stream-gradient index (SL) Rivers owing over rocks and soils of various strengths tend to reach an equilibrium with specic longitudinal proles and hydraulic geometries (Hack, 1973; Bull, 2007). Hack (1957, 1973, 1982) dened the stream-gradient index (SL) to discuss inuences of environmental

Please cite this article as: Dehbozorgi, M., et al., Quantitative analysis of relative tectonic activity in the Sarvestan area, central Zagros, Iran, Geomorphology (2010), doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.05.002

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Fig. 3. Distribution of rock strength levels and SL index anomalies.

Fig. 4. Seventy-two subbasins of the Ghare Aghaj River basin.

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variables on longitudinal stream proles, and to test whether streams has reached an equilibrium. SL is dened as SL = H = Lr Lsc 1

where H is change in altitude, Lr is length of a reach, and Lsc is the horizontal length from the watershed divide to midpoint of the reach. The SL index can be used to evaluate relative tectonic activity (Keller and Pinter, 2002). Although an area on soft rocks with high SL values indicates recent tectonic activity, anomalously low values of SL may also represent such activity when rivers and streams ow through strike-slip faults. We calculated SL along rivers using a digital elevation model (extracted from a digitized 1:25000 topographic map) and GIS (Figs. 5 and 6) and computed its average value for each subbasin. The value ranges from 55 (Subbasin 55) to 3046 (Subbasin 29). The values were classied into three categories: 1 (SL 500), 2 (300 SL b 500) and 3 (SL b 300) (El Hamdouni et al., 2007). The result of the classication is shown in Table 1. 3.1.2. Asymmetric factor (Af) The asymmetric factor (Af) can be used to evaluate tectonic tilting at the scale of a drainage basin (Hare and Gardner, 1985; Keller and Pinter, 2002). Af is dened as: Af = 100Ar = At 2

watershed. Both Ar and At were measured in ArcGIS. Af is close to 50 if there is no or little tilting perpendicular to the direction of the master stream. Af is signicantly greater or smaller than 50 under the effects of active tectonics or strong lithologic control. In the study area, Af varies from 1.1 (Subbasin 51) to 91.5 (Subbasin 33). Af values were grouped into three classes: 1 (Af 65 or Af b 35); 2: (35 Af b 43 or 57 Af b 65), and 3 (43 Af b 57) (El Hamdouni et al., 2007) (Fig. 7; Table 1). 3.1.3. Hypsometric integral (Hi) The hypsometric integral (Hi) describes the relative distribution of elevation in a given area of a landscape particularly a drainage basin (Strahler, 1952). The index is dened as the relative area below the hypsometric curve and thus expresses the volume of a basin that has not been eroded. A simple equation to approximately calculate the index (Pike and Wilson, 1971; Mayer, 1990; Keller and Pinter, 2002) is: Hi = average elevationmin: elev: = max: elev:min: elev:: 3

where Ar is the area of a part of a watershed on the right of the master stream (looking downstream) and At is the total area of the

Using Eq. (3), we computed Hi for each subbasin. It ranges from 0.11 (Subbasin 60) to 0.54 (Subbasin 7). Then Hi values were grouped into three classes with respect to the convexity or concavity of the hypsometric curve: Class 1 with convex hypsometric curves (Hi 0.5); Class 3 with concave hypsometric curves (Hi b 0.4); and Class 2 with concaveconvex hypsometric curves (0.4 Hi b 0.5) (Fig. 8 and Table 1).

Fig. 5. SL index along the drainage network.

Please cite this article as: Dehbozorgi, M., et al., Quantitative analysis of relative tectonic activity in the Sarvestan area, central Zagros, Iran, Geomorphology (2010), doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.05.002

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6 M. Dehbozorgi et al. / Geomorphology xxx (2010) xxxxxx Table 1 Values of At (total subbasin area), the classes of SL (stream-gradient index), Af (drainage basin asymmetry), Hi (hypsometric integral), Vf (valley oor widthvalley height ratio), Bs (drainage basin shape) and J (mountain front sinuosity) and values and classes of Iat (relative tectonic activity). Basin no. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 At (km2) 16.07 53.32 17.15 54.88 62.89 58.26 19.94 52.69 92.65 30.16 18.32 29.21 60.72 28.90 104.33 38.05 31.05 28.40 128.08 42.66 58.50 23.84 411.42 23.07 101.43 46.58 59.63 65.71 83.99 77.93 90.94 142.25 39.64 17.69 56.18 57.02 74.11 88.17 82.38 31.70 32.03 48.94 19.79 385.30 30.04 19.88 30.39 45.29 45.44 91.64 313.99 36.47 21.11 487.67 27.69 29.74 132.46 57.47 29.11 167.64 39.36 67.73 30.72 80.82 44.87 51.84 12.74 44.39 93.01 90.71 111.27 30.20 Class of SL 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 3 1 1 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 Class of Af 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 3 3 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 3 1 1 3 2 2 3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 2 1 Class of Hi 3 3 3 3 2 3 1 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Class of Vf 2 2 1 1 1 3 3 1 2 1 1 2 1 3 3 1 3 3 2 2 3 3 3 Class of Bs 2 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 1 1 3 3 3 2 1 2 3 1 3 3 2 3 2 3 1 3 3 1 1 3 3 3 3 1 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Class of J 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Value of Iat 2.00 2.00 2.17 2.00 2.17 2.00 1.40 1.80 2.20 1.40 2.00 2.60 2.00 2.75 2.00 2.20 2.25 2.40 1.80 3.00 2.50 2.40 2.20 2.40 2.20 2.17 2.40 2.33 2.00 1.83 1.80 2.17 2.40 2.00 2.20 2.17 2.20 2.33 2.00 2.50 2.25 2.50 2.25 2.17 2.50 2.25 2.25 2.20 2.50 1.80 2.67 2.40 2.00 2.50 2.60 2.20 2.50 2.50 2.33 2.20 1.80 2.17 2.17 2.20 2.20 2.20 2.50 2.20 2.60 2.75 2.20 2.50 Class of Iat 2 2 3 2 3 2 1 2 3 1 2 4 2 4 2 3 3 3 2 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 4 3 2 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 3

Fig. 6. Longitudinal river proles and measured SL values for three subbasins in the study area.

3.1.4. Ratio of valley oor width to valley height (Vf) Another index sensitive to tectonic uplift is the valley oor width to valley height ratio (Vf): Vf = 2Vfw = Ald + Ard 2Asc 4

where Vfw is the width of the valley oor, and Ald, Ard and Asc are the altitudes of the left and right divides (looking downstream) and the

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Fig. 7. Distribution of Af classes.

stream channel, respectively (Bull, 2007). Bull and Mcfadden (1977) found signicant differences in Vf between tectonically active and inactive mountain fronts, because a valley oor is narrowed due to rapid stream downcutting. Valleys upstream from the mountain front tend to be narrow (Ramrez-Herrera, 1998), and Vf is usually computed at a given distance upstream from the mountain front (Silva et al., 2003). We set a distance between 0.5 and 1 km, and within this range, the distance increased with an increasing subbasin size. Vf was calculated for the main valleys that cross mountain fronts of the study area using crosssections drawn from the DEM and the digitized 1:25,000 topographic map (Fig. 9). Then Vf was classied into three classes: 1 (Vf 0.5); 2 (0.5 Vf b 1.0) and 3 (Vf 1) (El Hamdouni et al., 2007) (Table 1). The range of Vf is from 0.11 (Subbasin 6) to 4.07 (Subbasin 51). Vf is relatively low for V-shape valleys but high for U-shape valleys. According to the obtained Vf values, most valleys in the study area are V-shaped. 3.1.5. Basin shape index (Bs) The horizontal projection of a basin may be described by the basin shape index or the elongation ratio, Bs (Cannon, 1976; RamrezHerrera, 1998): Bs = Bl = Bw 5

young drainage basins in tectonically active areas tend to be elongated in shape, normal to the topographic slope of a mountain (Bull and McFadden, 1977; Ramrez-Herrera, 1998). Therefore, Bs may reect the rate of active tectonics. Bs was computed using the DEM and classied into three classes: 1 (Bs 4); 2 (3 Bs b 4) and 3 (Bs 3) (El Hamdouni et al., 2007). Bs ranges from 1.0 (Subbasin 70) to 6.8 (Subbasin 35). About two-thirds of the studied subbasins belong to Class 3 with nearly circular shapes (Table 1). 3.1.6. Mountain-front sinuosity index (J) The mountain-front sinuosity index (J) is dened by Bull and McFadden (1977) and Bull (2007) as: J = Lj = Ls 6

where Bl is the length of a basin measured from the highest point, and Bw is the width of a basin measured at its widest point. Relatively

where Lj is the planimetric length of a mountain front along the mountainpiedmont junction, and Ls is the straight-line length of the front. J is commonly less than 3, and approaches 1.0 where steep mountains rise rapidly along a fault or fold (Bull, 2007). It represents a balance between stream erosion processes tending to cut some parts of a mountain front and active vertical tectonics that tend to produce straight mountain fronts (Bull and McFadden, 1977; Keller, 1986). The values of J was calculated for 27 mountain fronts (Fig. 10) using Lj and Ls values measured from SRTM images, and divided into three classes: 1 (J b 1.1), 2(1.1 J b 1.5), and 3 (J 1.5) (El Hamdouni

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values are also recorded along Subbasins 11, 15, and 20 along the EW Kahdan fault in the northern part of the Kolah Ghazi anticline (Figs. 3 and 5). The SL values of Subbasins 29 and 30, along the Tudej anticline and the Sarvestan fault zone respectively are also high (Figs. 5 and 6). SL of Subbasin 47 on the Kharman Kuh diapiric dome with an exposed fault segment is also high (Figs. 5 and 6). According to the acquired data and the geological maps, almost all moderately anomalous values of SL are located either along active faults such as the southern ank of the Ahmadi anticline (Maharlu fault zone) and the Gharabagh, Kheirabad and Runiz faults or fault zones, or where the underlying rock is resistant (Figs. 3 and 5). Although structural control plays a signicant role in the development of basin asymmetry (El Hamdouni et al., 2007), the highest values of Af that demonstrate the most prominent asymmetry occur in the Sarvestan and Sabz Pushan fault zones (Fig. 7); examples are Subbasins 2, 4, and 39. The subbasins with the highest values of Hi also occur along these fault zones. Note that they are not the cases of high Hi due to incision into a young depositional surface (El Hamdouni et al., 2007). The distribution of Vf indicates that rivers are deeply incised into the ground where they ow over an active fold or fault (Fig. 9). The most elongated subbasins with the highest values of Bs occur along the Sarvestan fault zone. J values reect the existence of straight mountain fronts in the study area and thus active tectonics. Three of them (Fronts 18, 19, and 24) have been truncated by the Sarvestan fault (Fig. 10). 3.3. Evaluation of relative tectonic activity Previous studies on relative tectonic activity based on geomorphic indices tend to focus on a particular mountain front or area (Bull and McFadden, 1977; Rockwell et al., 1985; Azor et al., 2002; Molin et al., 2004). This study tried to evaluate tectonics in a wider area, using a number of geomorphological parameters. The average of the six measured geomorphic indices (Iat) was used to evaluate the distribution of relative tectonic activity in the study area (El Hamdouni et al., 2007). The values of the index were divided into four classes to dene the degree of active tectonics: 1very high (1.0 Iat b 1.5); 2high (1.5 Iat b 2.0); 3moderate (2.0 Iat b 2.5); and 4low (2.5 Iat) (El Hamdouni et al., 2007). The distribution of the four classes is shown in Fig. 11, and Table 1 shows the result of the classication for each subbasin. About 1% of the study area (about 50 km2) belongs to Class 1; 20% (1050 km2) to Class 2; 67% (3580 km2) to Class 3; and 12% (660 km2) to Class 4. Iat tends to be high along the Sarvestan fault zone (Fig. 11). 4. Discussion The values of the six geomorphic indices as well as Iat often change corresponding to the distribution of fault zones. The 78 kmlong Sarvestan fault zone is the most typical case according to the distribution of Iat. The fault zone, cutting across the fold-thrust belt of Zagros, is dominated by strike-slip (Berberian, 1995), and has deformed some of the previously formed folds including the Kuhe Siah anticline, the Kolah Ghazi anticline, and the eastern part of the Ahmadi anticline (Fig. 12). It has also uplifted the eastern block by several hundred meters, causing prominent fault scarps, and has raised some active diapirs such as the Sarvestan diapir. The rises of the diapirs are associated with normal faulting, which is affected by the degree of the coupling between the brittle overburden and viscose substratum materials (Jackson, 1994; Bahroudi 2003). The Sarvestan diapir is characterized by high altitudes and a relatively high effective precipitation, and the exposed salt may be eroded rapidly (Bruthans et al., 2009). This erosive condition may have started around 6 ka BP, when a wetter climate since ca. 10 ka BP was

Fig. 8. Hypsometry curves of three subbasins. A: total surface of the subbasin. a: surface area within the subbasin above a given elevation h, H: highest elevation of the subbasin.

et al., 2007). All the observed values, however, are between 1.0 and 1.17 and belong to Classes 1 and 2 (Table 2). 3.2. Spatial distribution of index values Some rivers on the northern ank of the Sedar anticline demonstrate anomalously high values of SL, corresponding to the Sabz Pushan fault zone (Figs. 3 and 5). The fault zone is seismically active, with right-lateral strike-slip faults. Some anomalously high SL

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Fig. 9. Location of sections for Vf calculation.

Fig. 10. Twenty-seven mountain front segments for assessing the J index.

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10 M. Dehbozorgi et al. / Geomorphology xxx (2010) xxxxxx Table 2 Values and classes of J (mountain front sinuosity) for the dened mountain fronts. Class 1: J b 1.1, Class 2: 1.1 J b 1.5. Mountain front no. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 3 24 25 26 27 Basin no. 64, 68, 71 50 5759, 62 57 48, 50, 52, 56, 65 65 66 51 51 29, 51 32, 36, 42, 49, 60 25 2124, 28, 44 13 44 19 710, 19, 23 30 31 39 37, 27 31 25 15, 3, 5 2 1, 4, 6, 12 2 J 1.04 1.10 1.04 1.01 1.04 1.07 1.04 1.06 1.06 1.08 1.05 1.05 1.17 1.06 1.02 1.15 1.03 1.10 1.08 1.00 1.03 1.11 1.02 1.05 1.02 1.08 1.09 Class 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1

replaced by a recent drier climate (Burns et al., 1998; Staubwasser and Weiss, 2006). Therefore, thick vegetation cover at the Sarvestan diapir probably disappeared around 6 ka, leading to rapid erosion and more anomalous values of the geomorphic indices. Faulting of the cretaceous limestone near the Sarvestan diapir indicates an uneven strikefracture pattern, suggesting intermittent vertical uplift which has been coupled with the movement of the diapir. Here, Iat is particularly high, suggesting the impact of the complex tectonics. The pattern of tectonic deformation in the study area remained the same over the last 5 million years (Allen et al., 2004; Talebian and Jackson, 2004). An N2030 compression prevailed (Molinaro et al., 2005; Lacombe et al., 2006), and the oblique ArabiaEurasia convergence has been accommodated by both shortening and strike-slip (Lacombe et al., 2006). This type of long-term deformation along the Sarvestan fault zone explains the high values of Iat. The N2030 compression is also consistent with dextral motions along the other NWSE trending faults such as the Sarvestan and Sabz Pushan faults (Bachmanov et al., 2004). Iat for areas along these faults is high to very high, although the Sarvestan fault is partly buried due to recent sedimentation (Fig. 12), conrming the effectiveness of the Iat index. Local tilting of the upper-Pliocene Bakhtyari conglomerates throughout the Zagros (Hessami et al., 2001) suggests a recent folding. This is consistent with well-developed triangular facets associated with anticlines, a series of deep, narrow, parallel gorges incised into mountain fronts (Fig. 13), and the accumulation of

Fig. 11. Distribution of Iat classes.

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Fig. 12. The Sarvestan Fault and adjacent landforms. EMja: EoceneMiocene limestone of Jahrom formation, Esa: Eocene marl of Sachun formation, Ktb: Upper Cretaceous limestone of Tarbur formation, MPLa: MiocenePliocene sandstone of Aghajari formation, Mrz: OligoceneMiocene marl of Razak formation, Q: Quaternary deposits.

about 250 m of alluvial deposits. These observations as well as the values of the geomorphic indices suggest moderately to highly active tectonics. Iat is high throughout the southwest part of the study area (Fig. 11), which corresponds to a straight mountain front and triangular facets along the Sabz Pushan fault (Fig. 14). On the other hand, the lowest Iat values (class 4) mainly occur in the northern and northeastern parts of the study area (Fig. 11), where all geomorphic indices suggest low tectonic activity. This could be related to the inactive syncline axes associated with vast plains. 5. Conclusions Geomorphic indices computed using GIS are considered to be suitable for evaluating the effects of active tectonics over a large area. The method was applied to the Sarvestan area of the central Zagros to identify geomorphic anomalies and evaluate tectonic activity, because the central Zagros lacks proper works on active tectonics, and the low-frequency seismic record for the study area limits the possibility of seismological evaluation of tectonics. We used seven geomorphic indices: the stream-gradient index (SL),

Fig. 13. A deep gorge cutting the Tudej Anticline.

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Fig. 14. A view of the Sabz Pushan Fault.

drainage basin asymmetry (Af), hypsometric integral (Hi), valley oor widthvalley height ratio (Vf), drainage basin shape (Bs), mountainfront sinuosity (J) and the combination of the above indices (Iat). Based on Iat, the study area was divided into four classes of relative tectonic activities. The values of SL, Hi, and Bs were found to be high along major faults and folds. The values of Af show widespread drainage basin asymmetry related to tectonic tilting. The values of J suggest that mountain fronts are tectonically active, and the values of Vf show that many valleys are narrow and deep, suggesting a high rate of incision associated with tectonic uplift. About two-thirds of the study area has Iat values of classes 2 and 3, indicating moderately to highly active tectonics. Class 1 of Iat, indicative of the most active tectonics, occurs mainly in the southwestern part of the study area along the Sabz Pushan fault zone. Class 2 of Iat corresponding to highly active tectonics occurs mainly along the Sarvestan fault zone. These classes also correspond well to the areas with prominent scarps of tectonic origin, triangular facets, deformed alluvial fans, and deep narrow gorges. Class 4 of Iat mainly takes place in the tectonically inactive synclinal gentle plains in the northern and northeastern parts of the study area. The above results conrm the usefulness of morphometric analyses for assessing regional tectonics. They also suggest the necessity of future detailed research about tectonics in the study area based on detailed geological descriptions and Quaternary geochronology as well as the characteristics of major tectonic features. References
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