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

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.