Active tectonics in the western part of Kermanshah Province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Earth Sciences, SR.C. Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Housing and Urban Development Research Center, Tehran, Iran

3 Institute of Geophysics, Tehran University, Iran

4 Department of Earth Sciences, Ka. C., Islamic Azad University,,Karaj,, Iran

Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate active tectonics in the western part of Kermanshah Province using geomorphic indices. This region is located along major faults of the High Zagros and the Mountain Front Fault, where the occurrence of numerous moderate to large earthquakes, including the Mw 7.3 Ezgeleh earthquake in 2017, highlights the importance of assessing neotectonic activity.

For this purpose, a digital elevation model (DEM) was analyzed, and the study area was divided into 220 drainage basins, of which 197 were entirely located in the western sector of the province. Geomorphic indices including hypsometric integral (HI), drainage basin asymmetry (AF), valley floor width-to-height ratio (Vf), mountain front sinuosity (Smf), and basin shape (Bs) were calculated for these basins.

The results show that many basins are elongated and tilted, indicating significant tectonic influence. Based on the combination of indices, the relative tectonic activity index (Iat) was derived, and the region was classified into four zones: very high activity (22.3%), high activity (70.6%), moderate activity (6.1%), and low activity (1%). Comparison of these results with earthquake epicenters revealed a strong spatial correlation between highly active zones and recent seismicity.

Overall, the findings indicate that the western part of Kermanshah Province has been affected by active tectonics during the Quaternary and that the occurrence of large earthquakes, such as the 2017 Ezgeleh event, should not be considered unexpected. These results emphasize the necessity of recognizing seismic hazards and developing risk management strategies in the region.

Keywords

Journal of Tectonics
Volume 7, Issue 28
January 2024 Article ID:4

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