Tehran Plain

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The Tehran Plain is a landscape formation in Iran delimited by the adjacent Alborz Mountain range. It is a site of prehistoric archaeological and geoscientific interest. Numerous faults and deformed quaternary units in the Tehran plain prove it is a region of ancient tectonic activity.

Contents

Geology

The Tehran Plain is a landscape formation in Iran. It consists of Neogene and Quaternary sediments. [1]

The North Tehran Fault thrust up Eocene rocks of the Alborz Mountain range. Geomorphologically three different zones can be described: [1] In the western part, the plain has been deformed by thrusting, as can be seen by a segmented and internally deformed anticline and old and diverted channels on both sides. This process has been dated at possibly after 25,000 years. In the central part of the plain, which lies below the megacity of Tehran, thrusting and left-lateral strike-slip faulting has caused several uplifted fluvial terraces, reminiscent of a transpressional structure of uncertain age, possibly ~195,000 years, i.e. Pleistocene.

In the Eastern part, ramp-structures are ~195,000y-old, of middle Pleistocene. [1]

Archaeology

A channel for artificial water management on the Tehran Plain dating from the Late Neolithic was described in 2009, suggesting that farmers at Tepe Pardis in Iran irrigated crops in the 6th millennium. This corresponds to findings from Choga Mami in Iraq. [2]

Stone tool finds on the Tehran Plain from the late Neolithic through to Early Chalcolithic show that stone blade production was organised around craft specialists and also part-time blade producers within the household economy and the craft collapsed with increasing use of bronze. [3]

Study of a "landlord village" in Qasemabad, Pishva (also spelled Kazemabad) on the plain has allowed understanding the social and economic organisation of much of Iran's rural population as it was rooted in the early Islamic period until the 1963 White Revolution. [4]

Water

Groundwater sampling in southern parts of Tehran plain in 2012 found more than half of the samples unsuitable for drinking and agricultural use because of high levels of salinity. [5]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zagros Mountains</span> Mountain range in Western Asia

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The Shulaveri–Shomu culture, also known as the Shulaveri-Shomutepe-Aratashen culture, is an archaeological culture that existed on the territory of present-day Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, as well as parts of northern Iran during the Late Neolithic/Eneolithic. It lasted from around the end of the seventh millennium BC to the beginning of the fifth millennium BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teppe Zagheh</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Frontal Fault System</span>

The Eastern Frontal Fault System is a megaregional system of oblique and thrust faults cross-cutting Colombia from Ecuador in the south to Venezuela in the north. The system from south to north covers ten out of 32 departments of Colombia; Nariño, Putumayo, Cauca, Huila, Caquetá, Cundinamarca, Meta, Boyacá, Casanare and Arauca. The Eastern Frontal Fault System underlies and affects the capitals of Putumayo, Mocoa, Caquetá, Florencia, Meta, Villavicencio and Casanare, Yopal. The fault system has a total length of 921.4 kilometres (572.5 mi) with a cumulative length of the faults of 1,821.8 kilometres (1,132.0 mi) and runs along an average northeast to southwest strike of 042.1 ± 19 bordering and crossing the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The fault system forms the boundary between the North Andes microplate and the South American Plate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalma culture</span> Prehistoric archaeological culture of north-western Iran

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The 1977 Bob–Tangol earthquake struck Kerman province of Iran on December 20, 1977, at 03:04 Iran Standard Time. The earthquake measured Mw 5.9 and struck at a depth of 22.7 km (14.1 mi). A maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VII was evaluated based on damage. It had a strike-slip focal mechanism, which was unusual as the source structure was a thrust fault. It was part of a sequence of strong earthquakes along the 400 km (250 mi) Kuh Banan Fault. Between 584 and 665 people perished while a further 500–1,000 were injured; thousands were also made homeless. Casualties from the earthquake was considered moderate due to the sparsely populated area it affected. Preceded by foreshocks the month before, many residents became wary of a larger earthquake and took refuge outside their homes, contributing to the moderate death toll. However, there were none immediately before the mainshock so many were still in their homes when it struck. Aftershocks were felt for several months, some causing additional damage.

The 1957 Alborz earthquake struck northern Iran's Mazandaran province at 04:12 local time on 2 July. It had a moment magnitude (Mw ) of 7.1 and occurred at a focal depth of 15 km (9.3 mi). The thrust-faulting shock was assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). It devastated 120 villages in the Alborz Mountains and caused an estimated 1,500 fatalities. The earthquake also triggered landslides including one that dammed the Haraz River. Some damage was also reported in Tehran, Qaem Shahr and Sari. The total damage was estimated at US$25 million.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Angela Landgraf, Lucilla Benedetti, Regis Braucher, Didier Bourles et al. Pleistocene deformation and landscape evolution in the Tehran plain: results from tectonic geomorphology and TCN-dating. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 12, EGU2010-11196, 2010 EGU General Assembly, 2010
  2. Gillmore, G.K.; Coningham, R.A.E.; Fazeli, H.; Young, R.L.; Magshoudi, M.; Batt, C.M.; Rushworth, G. (2009). "Irrigation on the Tehran Plain, Iran: Tepe Pardis — The site of a possible Neolithic irrigation feature?". CATENA. 78 (3): 285–300. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2009.02.009.
  3. Fazeli, H.; Donahue, R.E; Coningham, R.A.E (2002). "Stone Tool Production, Distribution and use during the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic on the Tehran Plain, Iran". Iran. 40: 1–14. doi:10.2307/4300616. JSTOR   4300616.
  4. University of Leicester New insight into Iran's past: Landlord Villages of the Tehran Plain. Payvand News, 7/13/09
  5. Nasrabadi, T.; Maedeh, P. Abbasi (2013). "Groundwater quality assessment in southern parts of Tehran plain, Iran". Environmental Earth Sciences. 71 (5): 2077–2086. doi:10.1007/s12665-013-2610-x.