In physical geography, a steppe is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include:
The Iranian Plateau or Persian Plateau is a geological feature spanning parts of West Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. It makes up part of the Eurasian Plate, and is wedged between the Arabian Plate and the Indian Plate. The plateau is situated between the Zagros Mountains to the west, the Caspian Sea and the Köpet Dag to the north, the Armenian Highlands and the Caucasus Mountains to the northwest, the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf to the south, and the Indian subcontinent to the east.
The Zagros Mountains are a long mountain range in Iran, northern Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. The mountain range has a total length of 1,600 km (990 mi). The Zagros range begins in northwestern Iran and roughly follows Iran's western border while covering much of southeastern Turkey and northeastern Iraq. From this border region, the range continues southeast under also the waters of the Persian Gulf. It spans the southern parts of the Armenian highlands, the whole length of the western and southwestern Iranian plateau, ending at the Strait of Hormuz. The highest point is Mount Dena, at 4,409 metres (14,465 ft).
The Köpet Dag, Kopet Dagh, or Koppeh Dagh, also known as the Turkmen-Khorasan Mountain Range, is a mountain range on the border between Turkmenistan and Iran that extends about 650 kilometres (400 mi) along the border southeast of the Caspian Sea, stretching northwest-southeast from near the Caspian Sea in the northwest to the Harirud River in the southeast. In the southwest it borders on the parallel eastern endings of the Alborz mountains being together part of the much larger Alpide belt. The highest peak of the range in Turkmenistan is the Mount Rizeh, located at the southwest of the capital Ashgabat and stands at 2,940 metres (9,646 ft). The highest Iranian summit is Mount Quchan at 3,191 metres (10,469 ft).
Orography of Azerbaijan refers to the rocky, mountainous and elevated terrains in Azerbaijan. The tectonic structure is typical for the orography of the country. The main morphostructural units are the Greater Caucasus, the Lesser Caucasus, the Gusar plane, the Samur-Devechi lowland, the Kur intermountain trough, the Karabagh volcanic highland, the near and middle Araz Ridges and Talysh Mountains.
Talysh Mountains is a mountain range in far southeastern Azerbaijan and far northwestern Iran within Ardabil Province and Gilan Province.
The Sumbar is a fast flowing river in southern Turkmenistan and northern Iran. It a tributary of the Atrek. The name Sari-su means yellow water in Turkic languages, but is applied to a number of other rivers as well. It used to be an area for Caspian tigers in Turkmenistan, until the last individual was killed in January 1954.
Kara Dag or Qara Dag is Turkic for "Black Mountain". It may be written as one word (Karadag), a hyphenated word (Kara-dag), or as two words. Any of these spellings may refer to:
Bojnord, known in the Middle Ages as Buzanjird, is a city in the Central District of Bojnord County, North Khorasan province, Iran, and serves as capital of the district, county, and province. It is about 701 km (436 mi) from Tehran. and 237 km away from Mashhad, the capital of Razavi Khorasan province.
As of 2000 about 9300 species of vascular plant were known to grow in Turkey. By comparison, Europe as a whole contains only about 24% more species, despite having thirteen times the area.
The Alborz range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merges into the smaller Aladagh Mountains and borders in the northeast on the parallel mountain ridge Kopet Dag in the northern parts of Khorasan. All these mountains are part of the much larger Alpide belt. The Alborz range is divided into the Western, Central, and Eastern Alborz Mountains. The Western Alborz Range runs south-southeastward almost along the western coast of the Caspian Sea. The Central Alborz runs from west to east along the entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea, while the Eastern Alborz Range runs in a northeasterly direction, toward the northern parts of the Khorasan region, southeast of the Caspian Sea. Mount Damavand, the highest mountain in Iran measuring 5,610.0 m, is located in the Central Alborz Mountains. Mount Damavand is the 12th most prominent peak in the world and the second most prominent in Asia after Mount Everest.
Aladagh Rural District is in the Central District of Bojnord County, North Khorasan province, Iran. It takes its name from the Aladagh Mountains, deriving from Turkish ala dağ, meaning "variegated or speckled mountain (range)."
The Binalud Mountain Range or the Binalud Range is a mountain range that runs in a northwest-southeast direction between the Nishapur and Mashhad regions in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran, to the southeast of the Caspian Sea. Although far from the Aladagh Mountains, which lie to the northwest in the Province of North Khorasan, the Binalud Mountains are located in such a way that both the Aladagh Mountains and the Binalud Range lie approximately in the same arc, curving from the northwest to the southeast. The city of Mashhad is located in the northeastern part of the Binalud Range, and the city of Nishapur or Neyshabur lies on the southwestern section of the range. Situated somewhat to the west of the Binalud Range proper, and with an elevation of 3,211 metres, Mount Binalud is the highest point both of the Binalud Mountains and of Razavi Khorasan Province as a whole.
With an elevation of 3,032 metres, Mount Shahjahan is the highest point in the Aladagh Mountains and North Khorasan Province in the northeastern Iran. This peak is located in the southeastern part of the Aladagh Range. The cities of Faruj and Shirvan are situated in the northeast and the north, respectively, the city of Esfarayen lies to the west, and Bojnurd, the capital of North Khorasan, is to the northwest. Mainly formed in the Miocene and the Pliocene, Mount Shahjahan is made chiefly of Jurassic rocks.
Kuhbonan Mountains or Kuhbonan Highlands,, are a group of mountains that are located in the northern part of Kerman Province in Iran. Stretching in a northwest-southeast direction, the mountain range is situated in northwestern, eastern, and southeastern part of the city of Kerman, northeast of the town of Zarand, and southwest of the town of Ravar. With an elevation of 4233 metres, the highest point of the range is Mount Pelvar or Mount Palvar that is located southeast of the city of Kerman and about 25 kilometres east of the town of Mahan.
The main points that are discussed in the geology of Iran include the study of the geological and structural units or zones; stratigraphy; magmatism and igneous rocks; ophiolite series and ultramafic rocks; and orogenic events in Iran.
Qaflankuh or Qaflankuh Mountain Range is a mountain range that is located about 20 kilometres north of the city of Zanjan in Zanjan Province, Iran. With an average width of almost 20 kilometres and a length of about 100 kilometres, this mountain range is stretched in a northwest–southeast direction, beginning from northwest of Zanjan, passing north of Zanjan and ending southeast of Zanjan. The Qezel Owzan River flows in a valley that separates Qaflankuh Mountains on the south from Talish Mountains on the north. With an elevation of 2971 metres, Mount Sendan Dagh is the highest mountain of the range which is located in the southeast section of this mountain range. There are some mineral hot springs containing sulphur in different parts of this range. Geologically, Qaflankuh Mountain Range was formed during the Tertiary volcanism and plutonism and is made mainly of the Eocene volcanic rocks with very small sections of intrusive rocks in the northern and southern parts of the range.
Hezar Masjed Mountains are a group of mountains that form the southeastern section of the Kopet-Dag Range. Located about 20 kilometres east of Dargaz and 70 kilometres north of Mashhad in Razavi Khorasan Province in Iran and stretched in a northwest-southeast direction, the mountains are situated almost at the extreme northeastern part of Iran. With an elevation of 3040 metres, Mount Hezar Masjed is the highest peak of the group and is located almost in central section of the Hezar Masjed Mountains.
Western Iran consists of Armenian Highlands, Northern Zagros and the rich agricultural area of the Khuzestan Plain in the south.
The 1997 Bojnurd earthquake occurred on 4 February at 14:07 IRST in Iran. The epicenter of the 6.5 earthquake was in the Kopet Dag mountains of North Khorasan, near the Iran–Turkmenistan border, about 579 km (360 mi) northeast of Tehran. The earthquake is characterized by shallow strike-slip faulting in a zone of active faults. Seismic activity is present as the Kopet Dag is actively accommodating tectonics through faulting. The earthquake left 88 dead, 1,948 injured, and affected 173 villages, including four which were destroyed. Damage also occurred in Shirvan and Bojnord counties. The total cost of damage was estimated to be over US$ 30 million.
