Coseismic fault-related folding during the South Golbaf earthquake of November 20, 1989, in southeast Iran

Manuel Berberian; Manuchehr Qorashi

doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0531:CFRFDT>2.3.CO;2

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Research Article|June 01, 1994

Coseismic fault-related folding during the South Golbaf earthquake of November 20, 1989, in southeast Iran

Manuel Berberian

Najarian Associates, Inc., One Industrial Way West, Eatontown, New Jersey 07724

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Manuchehr Qorashi

Geological Survey of Iran, P.O. Box 13185-1494, Tehran, Iran

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Geology (1994) 22 (6): 531-534.

https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0531:CFRFDT>2.3.CO;2

Abstract

The South Golbaf earthquake of November 20, 1989 (m_s 5.7, m_b 5.6, I VII), in southeast Iran, was associated with coseismic surface faulting and folding. Surface faults 11 km (west-dipping) and 8 km (east-dipping) long with oblique reverse mechanisms developed on both sides of a small Holocene playa. Apparently, repeated coseismic fault-related folding was responsible for the Holocene 20° tilting of the playa deposits above the active fault tip at the ground surface. This study provided the first evidence of earthquake folding of Holocene playa deposits in Iran.